Lily Pace calls herself a "walking miracle." Despite having more than 10 surgeries in the past decade, her vision remains 20/25 in both eyes.
Maintaining clear vision is often difficult for patients who have undergone multiple eye surgeries. Repeated operations can cause scar tissue, retinal stretching and permanent damage to the light-sensitive cells in the eye, known as the photoreceptors.
In 2016, just two months after her first cataract surgery, Lily woke up and could not see out of her right eye.
"It was scary," she says. "I didn't know what was going on."
After spending 12 hours between multiple clinics and hospitals, Lily received a diagnosis at UHN’s Toronto Western Hospital: She had a retinal detachment.
Retinal detachment happens when the retina lifts away from its regular position. This separates the retina from the majority of its blood supply, and the nerve cells in the retina degenerate.
"Retinal detachment is a serious medical emergency," says Dr. Robert Devenyi, a vitreoretinal surgeon at UHN's Donald K. Johnson Eye Institute. "It's important to reattach the retina as soon as possible to re-establish the blood flow and to re-establish the functioning of the nerve cells."
The eye is like a camera, and the retina is the film in the back — the retina detects light and converts it into signals to send to the brain through the optic nerve.
The longer retinal detachment goes without treatment, the greater the risk of permanent vision loss in the affected eye.
Urgent treatment required for retinal detachment
Recognizing the urgency of the situation, Dr. Devenyi performed emergency surgery on Lily to reattach her retina.
For a moment, it seemed the crisis had passed.
Six weeks later, on Lily's 60th birthday, she lost her vision again. Same eye, different spot.
Rather than another retinal detachment, Lily had a tear in the retina, which was quickly fixed with a laser treatment.
Then it happened again. And again.
"The first few detachments and tears happened within weeks of each other," says Lily. "It continued over the years. Every time I thought I was in the clear, another one would happen."
Over the next eight years, Lily experienced a total of five detachments and three tears, all in different areas of the same eye.
There are many risk factors for retinal detachment, including blunt or sharp trauma, past eye surgeries, such as cataract removal, family history, and health conditions like diabetes.
In Lily's case, it was a combination of past cataract surgery and diabetes.
For patients like Lily, diabetes can damage the blood vessels in the retina, causing them to leak fluid, which can lead to tears, holes or retinal detachments.
In 2024, another unexpected complication occurred when the intraocular lens implanted during her cataract surgery dislocated, requiring yet another surgery.
"I knew immediately it wasn't another retinal detachment," says Lily. "Whenever it would detach, the first thing I would notice is the black shade in my eye. But this time I'm seeing white."
With the help of Dr. David Rootman, a cornea surgeon at Donald K. Johnson Eye Institute, the lens was surgically removed and sewn back into place by Dr. Devenyi.
By then, Lily had undergone more than a dozen eye surgeries and laser treatments.
Recognizing warning signs
Years of living with retinal diseases taught Lily to recognize the warning signs better than anyone.
"When you've been through it as many times as I have, you learn your symptoms," she says.
That experience proved critical when she suspected a retinal detachment — this time in her left eye. Lily trusted her instincts and called Dr. Devenyi's office.
She was seen immediately, and within days, her retina was surgically reattached.
"I couldn't thank Dr. Devenyi enough," says Lily. "He didn't just take care of my eyes, he also helped me get through the fear."
Advances in surgical techniques, specialized instruments and retinal imaging have transformed outcomes for patients, like Lily, over the past decade.
"In our practice, we see many complex retinal conditions," says Dr. Devenyi. "What's encouraging is that modern retinal surgeries allow us to repair most detachments, fix a lot of things that we couldn't fix before and restore useful vision."
Today, Lily is enjoying her independence. Her retina is now flat in both eyes, and she hasn’t experience detachments or tears since November 2025. She can also drive and carry on with day-to-day activities.
Looking back, she still remembers the fear and uncertainty she felt when she had her first retinal detachment ten years ago. Now she knows what is possible.
"Who would've thought that, after everything, I would be able to regain vision?" she says.
"Never give up hope.”
