Skip Atkins became a member of Fuchs Friends in mid-2022, only weeks before his first DMEK/cataract surgery, when he was searching for advice about negotiating the demands of the first few postoperative days. What he found was not only a source of extremely helpful advice from various members who had previously undergone similar surgery, but an organization whose leaders pride themselves on maintaining a level of dignity and professionalism often unmatched among web-based patient support groups.
A retired anesthesiologist, Skip is the first to admit that he considers himself a lay person in the area of Fuchs Corneal Dystrophy and has had to acquire knowledge in the same manner as other determined nonprofessionals. Physicians who practice in specialties unrelated to ophthalmology in general, and corneal diseases in particular, are often as inexpert in these disease entities as most non-medical people. The rarity of corneal dystrophy in the general population means that most patients with Fuchs and related dystrophies typically don’t know anyone personally who has it or has even heard of it; this often includes their primary care doctors who are thus unable to offer professional guidance. For this reason, to other members of Fuchs Friends coming to grips with a new diagnosis, Skip has often described Fuchs as a “lonely disease,” and an organization like Fuchs Friends and its parent, Corneal Dystrophy Foundation, serve a critical role in offering compassionate support and valuable information to those in need.
Skip comes to the Board of Directors of the Corneal Dystrophy Foundation with the experience of having served for many years as both an officer and director of his former medical group practice as well as in comparable roles on the Boards of various community and
faith organizations. He brings to the foundation a skill set with which he hopes to advance the organization into a productive future, always mindful of its mission to offer compassionate support and reliable information to patients learning to navigate their Fuchs journey.
