18 months after surgery, blepharitis and black eyes

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hollietree
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18 months after surgery, blepharitis and black eyes

Postby hollietree » Mon 24 Jul 2017 10:24 pm

Been a bit of a lurker here for years, this site has been a great place for me to learn about the condition, and feel a little less alone in the world :)

18 months ago I had corneal transplant surgery for my keratoconus (full thickness, only one eye) - mostly went to plan; no rejection scares or anything like that. It is considered a success by the doctors.

However in the aftermath, I am experiencing side effects from the pressure relieving drops (ganfort) which I use alongside the FML drops. It looks like I have a black eye, my eyelids are swollen, my eyelashes are long and luscious, and I have developed blepharitis, so am constantly getting styes (both the small white heads on the lids, but also huge ones under the lids). I think it is the pressure meds as I had no problems before using them.

I was wondering if anybody else had any experiences with this, and how does one deal with blepharitis when you can't rub your eyelids? I think this symptom is partly because I get very nervous cleaning that eye, as there are still stitches in it. The guy at moorfields wasn't very helpful in this respect, probably because I went in through A and E, as it's not my normal hospital.

I guess looking for some advice and moral support...you think you are over the worst, then something like this develops, people at work ask if you have been in a fight, and it starts to eat away at your self image as you look lopsided in photographs :( I also worry that, as it is a bit of a cosmetic issue, it won't be taken seriously by the NHS.

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Anne Klepacz
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Keratoconus: Yes, I have KC
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Re: 18 months after surgery, blepharitis and black eyes

Postby Anne Klepacz » Tue 25 Jul 2017 11:08 am

Hello hollietree and welcome,
I'm not sure I'd agree that this is a 'cosmetic' issue. I've had grafts in both eyes and was always neurotic about styes and blepharitis in my eyes, though I didn't get them when I was still on meds for the grafts. If you haven't got a follow up appt soon at your regular hospital, can you ask for an earlier appt so someone can look at that eye and give you some advice? It's great that the graft is otherwise doing well, but you don't want anything to threaten its continued health. So I don't think you need to worry about the NHS not taking your problems seriously. Using a cotton wool pad or a flannel soaked in warm water to clean the lids shouldn't be a problem. And there are medications for both blepharitis and styes, but you'd need to check with your clinic whether they're OK to use at the same time as the drops you're on. I hope things improve for you soon.

hollietree
Newbie
Newbie
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun 15 Nov 2015 1:00 am
Keratoconus: Yes, I have KC
Vision: On the waiting list for a graft

Re: 18 months after surgery, blepharitis and black eyes

Postby hollietree » Thu 03 Aug 2017 9:52 pm

Thanks for the reply, Anne! I have been using a hot face press, and have a hospital appointment next week, so hopefully they may have some answers. I wonder if it is down to the FML I am using, as I didnt have a problem before with steroids..hmm.

I also want to moorfields with one of the large styes...they didn't seem too bothered about it really. Just gave me some antibs.


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