Help Olivia get life-changing eye surgery

Hi, My name is Olivia and I'm fundraising for artificial irises. I was born with a rare disease called Aniridia - meaning I have no iris. Having no iris means that my pupils do not dilate and I can't properly filter light. Since 2021 I have had several major surgeries to repair parts of my eyes and save the remaining vision that I have. Because of these surgeries I have been put on medications that have unfortunately caused more difficulties. One of the side effects of the eye drops I take is significant growth of my cataracts. As an aniridic, my eyes are extremely fragile, and one of the challenges with aniridia is that it makes cataract surgery much riskier than it would be for others. As you can see from the photo that I've shared the cataract in my left eye has grown a lot and is blocking a good bit of my vision in that eye.

My surgeon has recommended that I get my cataracts taken out very soon. With cataract surgery I have opted to get the artificial iris. Due to the fragile nature of my eyes the safest plan is to put the artificial iris in at the same time as when they take the cataracts out.

The artificial iris is hand painted in Germany and then sent to my doctor here in Cincinnati. My doctor was the one that led the trials and helped get the FDA approval. He is one of very few humans on this planet that does this exact procedure.

Unfortunately, I will not be able to get this procedure paid for by insurance. Anthem considers the artificial iris to be cosmetic only, but to me it's a medical necessity, considering I have no iris. My surgeon and others with Aniridia who have had this exact surgery, have fought hard to get the rules changed for Aniridics, but we have not won the fight yet.

Each iris costs $8-10,000 out of pocket. According to my surgeon and the creators, these irises can help me by significantly reducing glare sensitivity, improving my depth of field, and optimizing contrast vision. If you would like to learn more about it, here is a link to the website: https://www.humanoptics.com/en/patienten/help-with-aniridia/#g3

Once I have these irises, I will have better vision than I have had in a very long time. I will be able to see facial expressions from further away, I will be able to go outside and not have to worry about wearing sunglasses because it's too painful to open my eyes due to light, and so many other amazing things that are a struggle right now. I do really well in making accommodations for myself, and I don't want it to seem like I have a horrible life as is, but IF I can get the money to get these irises I will be improving my quality of life significantly and making more opportunities for myself in the future.

If you feel that you can help me in this journey, please donate to my GoFundMe.