Quicktopic posts: Mar 2004

[umbilica@umbilical.demon.]

CHA:
The first thing you have to check is the type of lens you are
using. The comfort depends on the amount of Oxygen that is
suppplied to the eye through the lens - hence permeability. Gas permeable lenses are upto 45% pearmeable. DK lenses are much
more comfortable but are more expensive.

The second factor to bear in mind is the amount of protein
deposits on the lenses. If lenses are not soaked regularly with protein remover the deposits tend to reduce the comfort levels.

Up to a point.

Yes, the eye needs oxygen, and an eye that is starved of oxygen
will not be happy.

And yes, a "dirty" lens is likely to cause a problem, not least
because it - particularly if made of RGP material - will not wet properly, and give all the problems caused by not wetting.

But there are plenty of other factors too. Lens comfort is also affect by the fit - the shape of the lens, which determines the
size and location(s) of contact between the lens and the eyeball.
Typically, there is a trade-off between comfort (as perceived by the wearer), the theoretical good fit, and how good the vision
is. In theory, a good fit also feels most comfortable - but
people aren't always as simple as that! [Right since when I
first got lenses - sclerals, from day one, nearly 30 years ago,
when they were made of PMMA (Perspex) and had air holes in them
- I've been an exception that doesn't fit any of the theories!]

Other factors may affect comfort too - such as whether the wearer is tired or run down, the weather, the atmosphere of where they
are (eg. a dusty workshop or air conditioned office), hay fever, atmospheric pollution, or (for some, women obviously!) if they
are pregnant, go on the pill, or even the phase of their
menstrual cycle. Etc, etc.


Incidentally, one of the advantages of hard lenses (whether RGP
material, PMMA, or even the very old glass ones) over soft or
softperm lenses is they are less trouble to keep clean and
store. Basically, you clean them, then dry them and put them
away in the case, dry. You don't need to keep them wet in
storage, and don't have the problems of the case leaking all
over whatever else you have in your briefcase/handbag. And they can just be cleaned, like that, rather than needing soaking for
hours to get deposits out of the internal structure of a
hydrophilic (soft) lens - and then resoaked to get the cleaner
out of the same structure (my ex housemate used to have immense
problems with all this). Maybe I'm just lucky in that I don't
lay down much in the way of a protein deposit anyway, and maybe
some people's physiology is different, but I've never needed to
soak mine; cleaning, and then washing off the cleaner, has always been OK.

Rosemary

--
Rosemary F. Johnson

[KateF]

dear Isha and Nadia
welcome to the group, you are among friends!!
the answers you are looking for may not appear straight away, and no-one will be exactly like you, but the more you read, the better informed you are and you gradually get to know the different problems and possible solutions that are out there.
don't worry, keep reading and messaging, and become your own expert!
Kate n Dale

[Anna MASON]

Ooh Protein build up and contamination now there's a story and then some.
I get Really bad hay fever which cuts my wearing time down to 3 hours (on a good day)
To combat this I now eat more local honey than you can shake a stick at (that's if you are prone to shaking sticks at things) and take Visionace supplement.

I can get protein deposits like nobodys business and I don't know if its my imagination but I think I am allergic to it.

If I cry (I am quite emotional) it wrecks my lenses for days.

My lenses got contaminated by some unknown thing and when I put them in my eyes puffed up like crazy and went bloodshot (I looked gorgeous) and I had to throw a pair in the bin.

And sorry guys this is one for the girls I am now doing the HRT thing and I am sure it has affected the way my eyes react to things and noone anywhere can tell me if this is possible?

[walwal]

Hi everyone!
So glad Ive found this group. Having a bad spell sightwise as others will understand. The posts here have made me resolve to phone Moorfields tomorrow and try and sort something out.
Wonder if anyone has some advice on what I might ask? At the last visit was fitted with scleral lenses in both eyes. With me the left is very bad and the right almost correctable with spectacles. The right lens keeps popping out though.
Was first diagnozed 30 years ago and in that time the only ones Ive really been happy with were tiny microdots. Hard not even gas permeable. An optician Ive spoken to said he believes three companies still make them. Anyone got any experience of them?
Just to add for anyone just been diagnozed, please dont worry. You dont blind overnight. Yes Im worse now than 1974 but everyone is different but we all get by. Some days are diamond, some days are stone. Enjoy life. I do!

[sajeev]

Hello Group,

Dry eyes and Keratoconus seem to be associated together, and when I found this out is when I thought to myself yes I think I have dry eyes as well.

I have been taking Omega 3 and Omega 6 supplements and since then my dry eye has cleared up and I now know for sure how dry my eye used to be.

For me anyway the supplements seem to put a fine layer of watery film over the surface of my eyes and it has very slightly given me more clarity with my vision.

I have also found that this effect was not recreated with Cod liver oil capsules; it worked best with equal ammounts of omega 3 & 6 supplements. Also you have the benifits of these oils being good for you anyway.

Any comments welcome.

Thanks
sajeev

Keep your head up !!!

[Andrew MacLean]

Thanks Sajeev

I had been trying for the same effect using cod liver oil. I'll stick them in the bin and give omega 3 and 6 a go!

Andrew

On 5 Mar 2004, at 01:24, QT - sajeev wrote:

>
< replied-to message removed by QT >

[sajeev]

Hi Andrew,
Please let us know how you get on, the effects I remember kicked in with in 3 days for me. I feel they are very helpful and should be available on prescription (but they are not).

The supplements I took are alittle bit expensive, however only if bought in the chemist or well-know health food chain stores.

My only advise is to take equal amounts of omega 3&omega 6. I also found out that supplements which says that they have omega 3 & omega 6 have not got equal amounts of omega 3 & omega 6 (only one did, which I can not remember the name of)or take one of each as two supplements.
I also found out that equal amounts are also good for your health anyway.

Keep your head-up.
Sajeev

[umbilica@umbilical.demon.]

Anna wrote:
And sorry guys this is one for the girls I am now doing the HRT thing and I am sure it has affected the way my eyes react to
things and noone anywhere can tell me if this is possible?


That's interesting.....

When I was newly diagnosed, my dad did some research on KC and
on contact lenses in general. One of the bits of info he found
was that the confort of contact lenses could be affected by
either going on the pill or getting pregnant. That is, some
pregnant women found wearing contact lenses less comfortable.

So, it wouldn't be surprising if taking HRT type hormones had a
similar effect.

This was, oooh, must be getting on 30 years ago, and I don't
know how long before that the research had been done. It was
certainly before the days of gas permeable materials.

Rosemary

--
Rosemary F. Johnson

[umbilica@umbilical.demon.]

walwal wrote:
Wonder if anyone has some advice on what I might ask? At the
last visit was fitted with scleral lenses in both eyes. With me the left is very bad and the right almost correctable with
spectacles. The right lens keeps popping out though.


Popping out? A scleral lens??

That does sound like bad news! - I always thought it was
impossible for sclerals to pop out (are they "mini-sclerals"?). Suggest you contact Moorfields and tell them just that.

Sorry, never heard of microdots.

Hope you get all sorted out soon.

Rosemary

--
Rosemary F. Johnson

[alan whyte]

Hello, just found out (3 weeks ago) that I have this condition, I've seen a consultant but don't really know what's in the future,
any ideas' anyone?

I have the opposite problem to Rosemary in that my right eye is pretty hopeless, left is good enough to cope with TV, as long as it's not reality TV.
regards to all,

alan whyte.