For nearly five decades, Donald Loke has worked with the precision of a master watchmaker, crafting and restoring timepieces with a delicate touch and a keen eye.
His passion and career have taken him to Switzerland, where he worked alongside some of the world’s best, and has clients all over the country who trust him with their intricate, high-grade watches for complicated repair and restoration.
But in recent years, Donald's world became blurry—literally. After cataract surgery that didn't go as planned, he lost most of his eyesight in his right eye.
"The anesthesiologist failed to take the tourniquet off my arm, so the cocktail they gave me never reached my eye,” Donald said. “I felt the laser and I flinched, and it left me blind in my right eye for six days. I couldn’t see at all."
The recovery process was long. He was told that it may take up to two years for the inflammation in his eye to go down and his vision remained impaired, leaving him unable to perform some of the fine, delicate work he had once mastered.
"I lost 50 percent of my capacity working at the bench," he said. "There were certain things I just couldn’t see anymore, and I couldn't work on, especially ladies’ watches—they were too small."
As time passed, it became clear that something needed to change if he were to regain the precision required to pursue his passion.
After months of frustration, Donald’s optometrist recommended he see a cornea specialist, who eventually referred him to Eversight surgeon Dr. Lorenzo Cervantes.
Together, they explored all options before deciding on a cornea transplant. It was a decision that would change Donald’s life.
"We spent six months ironing out all the possibilities,” Donald said. “Finally, we decided a cornea transplant was the only way forward, and I’m so thankful for it."
On May 6, 2024, Donald received a cornea transplant in his right eye.
"The surgery came out flawless," he said. “It was a little weird laying on my back for 10 days, but it did the job. The last time I saw Dr. Cervantes, he told me you couldn’t even tell I had the cornea replaced. It healed perfectly."
The change in Donald’s vision was dramatic.
"Before the surgery, my eyes weren’t working together,” he said. “I tried using my left eye with my eye loops, but my hand-eye coordination just wasn’t there, and I couldn’t do the fine work.”
Donald had to slow his work pace down to even be able to put the screwdriver in the screw slots of these small watches.
“One thing I found with the cornea transplant is my eyes are now working together, and my coordination has come back,” Donald said. “I'm now using the loop on my right eye, I'm in my comfort zone. Now I can work.”
Although his right eye is still healing, some days it sees better than his left, which had also undergone cataract surgery. "It’s a process, but I know I’ll get there," he said with optimism.
Donald’s gratitude extends far beyond the technical success of the surgery. He knows that this gift of sight was made possible by the selflessness of a donor family.
"My brother was an eye donor," Donald said. "We’re a donor family. It’s a miracle what they’re able to do today. The difference in my eyesight before and after the transplant is amazing to me. It makes a big difference."
Reflecting on his brother’s passing and his donation that healed and saved lives, Donald wasn’t fully aware of what eye donation really meant.
"At first, I thought, what do they even do with eyes? I couldn’t think of a cornea transplant. It’s never entered my mind at all.
“So, for me, I almost feel like maybe I got a little piece of my brother back."
Eye donation has given Donald not only the ability to see again but also hope. For the past three years, Donald hadn’t realized he had fallen into depression.
“I was frustrated because I couldn’t see. I wasn’t capable of doing half of what I used to be able to do,” he said. “But once I had the cornea transplant, everything changed. I started feeling better about my work and which direction my eye was going in and the fact that there's hope.”
Donald’s vision journey is a testament to the power of medical innovation and the generosity of donors. Above all else, Donald can’t thank his donor family enough, knowing exactly how it feels to make that decision.
“From the bottom of my heart, I thank them for their sacrifice,” he said. "Donation means hope. Hope that the sacrifices made by the donor family give someone else clarity—in more than one way."
Looking back on his experience, Donald expressed immense gratitude not only for the donor family but also for his surgeon.
"Dr. Cervantes is an unbelievable doctor,” he said. “He was very calm. We talked through every step of the way. It’s not just a job for him, he cares for his patients, and you could see it in his professionalism and how he handles himself.”
For Donald, the road ahead still includes some healing, but his gratitude is unwavering. He is back to doing what he loves, one watch at a time, with renewed vision and a profound sense of purpose.
