When asked about his experience as part of the trial study for Central Retinal Vein Occlusion (CRVO), Neil Ehnis, a patient of Dr. Surendar Purhoit, will tell you it was a huge success!

As Neil explained, he woke up one morning to find that the vision in his right eye was only 50%. Concerned, he immediately made an appointment with his optometrist, who then referred him to TLC. Upon his examination with Dr. Purohit, it was determined that Neil was a good candidate for the study taking place in TLC’s Jackson office. Neil was open to the 15-month process, hoping to get some resolution with his vision. “As an instructor with firearms, my vision is of utmost importance. I was open to anything that might help restore my vision,” explained Ehnis.

During his time in the study, Neal was told he would have to have injections in his eye. “I was very apprehensive about the procedure itself, and the pain. The staff was wonderful, and very reassuring. Dr. Purohit explained what was going to happen and what I could expect, so there were no surprises.” Neil noted that the injection was done very quickly, and he encountered no pain. Within 2-3 hours, the vision in his right eye was restored.

Over the 15-month time-frame, Neal had to make many trips to the office and noted how pleased he was with the scheduling of his appointments. “I was always taken back on time. On the rare occasion that my appointment needed to be rescheduled, they gave me plenty of notice and asked what appointment best met my schedule and needs.”

As the study continued, Neil responded so well to the treatments that he was able to skip some injections during the study, and did not require any treatments on his follow-up appointment. Today, the vision in Neal’s right eye has been restored to 95-100%. Because of his involvement in the study, the FDA was able to approve Lucentis. “If my involvement helped someone with the same problem, I am happy to be part of it,” stated Ehnis.

Neil expressed his gratitude for being part of the TLC study, “I was very pleased with the whole process. The staff was very knowledgeable and professional. I have nothing but praise for the doctors and staff at TLC, and I tell everyone about my great experience!”