CXL Part One - Done

[MattD87]

Thanks mate. Very blurry today, like I'm looking through smoke. Can see things, just there's no detail there. I assume this is the cornea still healing and inflamed. Think I'll head out in the rain with dark glasses on today to see how I can get by with my bad eye. If nothing else it should be amusing for everyone else out there!

Is your haze still slowly improving? I hope your bad eye phase is based on improvement in that eye rather than the opposite in the other eye. Are you able to get by yet?

[CrippsCorner]

I've got my 6 month post-CXL check up this week as it goes, and you know what, there's definitely been an improvement. I'm now starting to see text on my iPhone which is just brilliant... don't get me wrong the reflections/double vision is awful, but, being able to see text is enough for me to know it's getting better at the moment! It's strange though, sometimes it seems really quite good (usually when it's very sunny outside) but I use looking at beard hair as a test of the fineness I can see, and there it fails completely. Still, the only way is up hopefully

Think my other eye took about 2 weeks until I started seeing well after CXL so I'm sure you'll get there soon! When's your next check up?

[MattD87]

My checkup was on Wednesday. Tuesday onwards the haze started to clear and by the time I did the eye test on weds I could see 6/6 again. My peak vision was apparently 6/4.8 in the week after my other eye was done, but I think that was an anomaly, it hasn't been that good since.

My left eye has reverted back to rubbish since my right has picked up again. Even though I saw the 6/6 line I can tell the ghosting is a little worse, plus by distance vision isn't as good, but things are going nicely.

Olly when you say you use beard hair as the test, do you mean you hold a single hair to see if you can see it, or try to pick out the hairs in your beard?

[CrippsCorner]

Looking in the mirror. Obviously I'm not doing this in direct sunlight so I feel it gives a truer scale of my vision. I drive myself mad testing my vision all the time lol but that one kind of makes sense.

[Cherry_blossom]

For those that have had CXL done and were driving before how long did it take before you were able to start driving again?

I'm a Paramedic and so have to drive 5.5 ton trucks round on blue lights so driving is kind of essential for me to work. I've only just been told I likely have keratoconus and have been referred for possible CXL but having read some people's experiences I'm now worried that if it was recommended I could either need quite a while off work or (if it goes wrong) lose my career completely. Also as I live 15 minutes drive from the nearest shops and live by myself the ability to drive asap is pretty vital.

[MattD87]

Hi Cherry,

As you probably read above I had CXL done in my left eye last Saturday (16th). I returned to work again today after a week and a bit off, driving the usual hour and a bit it takes me. It took 3/4 days for cloudiness to largely clear, and another few days for distance vision to come back into focus, and touch wood my sight is almost back to where it was already.

In both cases I was driving again in a week, and to be honest I'm surprised at the recovery in my good eye. I've driven at night once since and it was a little harder, but perfectly manageable. Basically the ghosting and haloes have got a little bigger, but for now I've put that down to being still in the recovery process.

Hope that helps.

[Cherry_blossom]

Thanks Matt. I'm probably jumping the gun seeing as I've not even seen a consultant yet but it's nice to do some research so I know what might be recommended and what to expect. Looks like if I did have it done I'd probably be better only working days for a few weeks after. The joys of 24/7 shift work and driving at night.

[CrippsCorner]

Hi. With my first CXL I was back to work after a week, and back driving again a week after that. With my second CXL I was unable to drive for around 3 months, but I did have a rare complication which was the cause of this. Also to note before CXL I was struggling to drive at night, I basically only drove to and from my girlfriends 3 miles down the road... whereas now it's a total impossibility. Not trying to put a downer on the procedure but these things obviously can happen.

[al69]

Thanks for the input in this thread guys it is a real help. Ive been around a bit but dont post much as just coping with rgp for the last 4 years. Recently ive been told i can have CXL on the nhs and have been put forward for it.

Like Cherry blossom i too do shifts and need to drive to work. My employer isnt aware of the KC as ive passed their own extensive in house eye tests at my 5 yearly medical ( a big company) and no problem while wearing my lenses. Im looking forward to the CXL but my only concern is the recovery and possible hazing, i too do shifts and getting too and from work could be an issue if i cant drive in. Currently i have no problem driving at night etc or even with glasses, although not as good as with my rgp lenses (torture devices). I can at a pinch drive without lenses too but obviously dont as not as safe but often drive with only one lens in so i can rest my eyes. Doing shifts seems to play havoc with lens wear times and i have to sort of pace when i put them in etc.

Please keep adding to the thread as its extremely helpful being very current.

Thanks again Guys