Eye Care Patient Stories

Patient stories about eye care

October 20, 2023

‘Miracles Still Happen’: After Nearly Losing His Eye, Conway Man Sees Clearly Again

Benjamin Waldrum

Jeremy Richie JEI

Four years ago, Jeremy Richie’s life turned upside-down when an accident blinded him in his left eye. Now, after multiple surgeries, a special contact lens and a team effort from eye specialists at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ (UAMS) Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, his sight has been restored to almost normal….


January 20, 2023

Three-Year-Old Patient Keeps Sight, Survives Rare Eye Cancer

Benjamin Waldrum

Dallas Carter

All Quatisa East wanted was for her infant daughter, Dallas Carter, to be able to see. A rare diagnosis of retinoblastoma, or cancer of the eye, threatened that possibility. “I didn’t give up on her — everything I’ve done is just being a mother,” said the 29-year-old. It’s been a long road for Dallas and…


January 25, 2021

Patient’s Need to Read Leads Him to Jones Eye Low Vision Clinic

Spencer Watson

Patient Jeremy Thornton poses with Mary Price, O.D., after an appointment in the low vision clinic at the UAMS Harvey and Bernice Jones Eye Institute.

As a minister for the Highway 77 Church of Christ in Marion, Jeremy Thornton needs to be able to read from his Bible. So when damage to his optic nerve made the Word harder for him to read, he was devastated. “When I heard that this was a permanent problem and there wasn’t really anything…


July 20, 2020

Special Lenses Help Former Gallery Owner See Color Again

Spencer Watson

Frances Sego

When Frances Sego, of Fayetteville, puts in the special contact lenses she got through seeking care at the UAMS Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, “it’s like putting a new lightbulb in your eye each morning.” Plagued by complications resulting from corneal dystrophy, which causes irregularities to the clear outer layer of the eye, her…


April 27, 2020

Patient Feels Cared For Even During Complicated Treatment at Jones Eye

Spencer Watson

Gregory Buchanan smiles in the lobby of the Jones Eye Institute in Pat Walker Tower.

| Just a few months ago, Gregory Buchanan could barely make out the number of fingers being held up just a few feet in front of him. The big “E” at the top of an eye chart on the standard exam was a hopeless blur to his right eye — and that was with his…


March 26, 2020

Floater Removal Gets Patient Back on the Tennis Court

Spencer Watson

Ahmed Sallam, M.D., Ph.D., and patient Jim Winter.

Jim Winter realized something was wrong on the tennis court. “In the last three to four years, I started having difficulty seeing tennis balls on the tennis court,” said Winter, a retired emeritus research professor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Winter was also having trouble working on a computer or reading books…


December 19, 2019

Jones Eye Institute Celebrates 40-year Career of John Shock, M.D.

Spencer Watson

John Shock, M.D., shares stories from his 40 years at UAMS with those gathered to celebrate the anniversary.

A standing-room-only crowd gathered Dec. 17, including members of the Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute Advisory Board, to celebrate John Shock, M.D., and the 40 years he has given in service to UAMS. Faculty, staff, patients and others gathered to share memories of Shock’s many years of service and many accomplishments as former chair…


January 2, 2019

Cornea Transplant Saves Vision of NICU Doctor

Spencer Watson

David Warner gives Whit Hall an eye exam after having done a successful cornea transplant.

For Whit Hall, M.D., a constant blurring of his vision made work more difficult. The nature of the work, however, required keen vision. Hall is a neonatologist in the UAMS Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. “Many of our babies are very small,” said Hall. “In order to help the babies breathe, for example, we have to…


August 3, 2018

Fort Smith Man Regains Vision After Nearly Two Years in the Dark

Katrina Dupins

Katie Brown, O.D. examines Mack Farris' eye.

Aug. 3, 2018 | For the past few months, Mack and Karen Farris have spent lots of quality time taking in sights. The Fort Smith couple has enjoyed sunsets on the beach, trips back to their hometown in Alabama, visiting friends and family in Mississippi and Georgia and boating with dolphins in Florida It is…


June 25, 2018

UAMS Eye Patient: To See Again is Phenomenal

ChaseYavondaC

Cindy Jones has dealt with eye issues for most of her life, but her treatment from David Warner, M.D., at UAMS' Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute has resulted in positive change.

June 25, 2018 | Each visit to UAMS to see cornea surgeon David Warner, M.D., is a joyous occasion for Cindy Jones. That’s because with each visit in the year-long recovery after her cornea transplant, her vision improves. “Each time it was better and better,” said Jones. Jones, 44, has had a lifetime of vision…



Next page