On the behalf of National Keratoconus Foundation (NKCF), Keratoconus Australia, and UK-based Keratoconus group, we would like to thank you to everyone who participated in the “KC: Through My Eyes” 2021 World KC Day Photo Contest. We received 38 entries from 11 countries.
Here are our winners!
First-Place Overall: Mandi (MI, USA)
When asked to describe why this photo represents vision with keratoconus, Mandi said: “With KC I don’t see one moon I seen multiples which makes it hard to enjoy solar phenoms so I usually take pics so I can see a clear image of what is in the sky.
I alter the ‘Blood’ moon photo in 3D paint software. I layered the moon image over itself multiple times. I took another moon photo from the solar eclipse and layered it too it also to create the fainting ghosting in the background.“
First-Place (Professional): Chiara (Italy)
“Visual aids are beneficial for my patients in everyday life to see a more defined world.“
Runner-Up (Professional): Daniel (IL, USA)
“Some people wonder why glasses don’t work with KC. This is the distortion that KC patients have to struggle with.“
First-Place (Senior): Carl (TX, USA)
“A beautiful moon, seen through rigid contacts, with a little tear from joy, sadness, or pain, …and a star of hope and thankfulness for my vision.”
Runner-Up (Senior): Jimmie (Sweden)
“Through my eyes and scleral lens I see my wife taking the photo.”
First-Place (Adult): Ashley (England)
“A selfie, moody, a very good way of explaining how keratoconus makes us feel.”
Runner-Up (Adult): Deryck (South Africa)
“Wildlife and nature photography represents the beauty that I missed through all the years of my struggle. The 2 zebras grazing in the field, facing each other in the fog are like my eyes were during this time. Beyond the zebras, everything is a blur and foggy. Only the light from sun shines through. Nothing is clear, yet the beauty around me still remained and I could still enjoy life in spite of keratoconus. Keratoconus took away my ability to see, but with my camera lens, I could capture the beauty.”
First-Place (Youth): Cristian (TX, USA)
“This image shows happiness after his whole world was flipped upside down with his new diagnosis of KC. My son is a young man that had matured despite this progressive eye disorder. He’s not a candidate for scleral lenses because of his intellectual disabilities, and he’s still the shining “son” after a terrible storm.”