Sudenaz, who had a knife stuck in her eye while opening a shopping bag, underwent a second cornea transplant.

In the Torbalı district of Izmir, 17-year-old Sudenaz Aldağ underwent her second cornea transplant five years after accidentally stabbing her eye with a fruit knife while trying to open a shopping bag.

The incident occurred in June 2017 in the Ayrancılar neighborhood of the Torbalı district, when Sudenaz Aldağ, only 10 years old at the time, went shopping with her father Yılmaz and mother Zehra. After shopping, the father went to work, while the mother left the shopping bags in the kitchen. Sudenaz tried to open the bag containing eggs to help her mother, but when she couldn’t untie the knot, she took a fruit knife. The unfortunate girl accidentally stabbed her eye with the knife while trying to open the bag with a strong motion. Sudenaz underwent treatment for 1.5 years, during which the first cornea transplant was performed at Izmir Bozyaka Training and Research Hospital as her eye pressure began to drop. Over time, the cornea that was transplanted remained clear for a while but became cloudy again when eye pressure re-emerged. As a result, it was decided that Sudenaz needed another eye transplant. Recently, she underwent her second cornea transplant at Izmir City Hospital by Associate Professor Dr. Bora Yüksel and his team.

“The tissue is beautiful, it is in place and will gradually become clear over the months.”

Associate Professor Dr. Bora Yüksel, an ophthalmology specialist at Izmir City Hospital, commented on Sudenaz’s health status: “Our patient was severely injured by the knife. The first transplant remained clear for a while but became cloudy over time. The main reason for this was the increase in eye pressure due to the accident. We didn’t achieve results with medication for the pressure, so we inserted a tube. Over time, the corneal tissue cells decreased, leading to cloudiness, and we performed another transplant. Currently, it is going well. Her eye pressure is good and clear. The optic nerve has been somewhat affected by all these events, so we haven’t achieved the vision we expected fully. But the tissue looks good and is in place. It will gradually become clearer over the months.”

“I believe vision will improve within 6 months.”

Yüksel noted that Sudenaz can see with her peripheral vision and added: “Our primary expectation here is that the eye appears clear; aesthetics is also important. It is crucial that it has a natural appearance from the outside, with no strabismus and no shifting. Whatever she can see is a chance for us. We have started immunosuppressive therapy to keep the tissue in place. It is generally more challenging to keep foreign tissue in children than in adults. She is currently using her drops and coming for check-ups. I believe her vision will improve a bit more within 6 months.”

“We replaced the cornea.”

Associate Professor Dr. Yüksel mentioned, “Unfortunately, the tissues do not last a lifetime. There are different types of surgeries for that purpose, and we perform them as well. There is also a transplant system that protects the patient’s own cells. However, that was not possible for this patient. We completely replaced the cornea.” He emphasized the importance of the patient attending regular check-ups during this process.

Yılmaz Aldağ, the father describing his daughter’s ordeal, said, “We had just returned from shopping. When we got home with the bags, my daughter took the bag in the kitchen and tried to open it. She couldn’t open it because the knots were a bit tight. Then she tried to open it with a fruit knife. While trying to open the knot with force, she pulled the knife towards herself, and it went directly into her right eye, cutting the cornea in half. We immediately went to Bozyaka Training and Research Hospital. They referred us for surgery and stitched it up. Then they said she needed a cornea transplant. About a year passed at that time. Since her eye pressure was also high, they tried to lower it. In 2019, they found a donor and called us. They successfully performed the cornea transplant there. We stayed in the hospital for 2-3 weeks, and after returning to normal, we were discharged. Our check-ups continued.”

“The old medications were insufficient because we were using them.”

Father Akdağ mentioned that they could not visit the hospital frequently when the pandemic started, and continued: “During that period, our doctors changed places. Since we were still using the old medications, it was determined that the eye medications were insufficient. When we finally came to Izmir City Hospital, the doctors said she needed another transplant. She underwent another transplant, and it was successful. Our check-ups will continue. Hopefully, she will get better.”

Wishing for his daughter’s health, Akdağ said, “My only wish is for my daughter’s eye to see again. For it to return to a normal cycle. The doctors said the healing process would be challenging due to the damage to the optic nerves. We are satisfied with the examinations by the doctors. They are guiding us.”