intacs procedure update

[Kathy Hobkirk]

I can go for my eyes testing at the beginning of May and hopefully will be able to get away with wearing glasses because my conjuntivitus keeps coming back.

Kathy

[Kathy Hobkirk]

Hi all

Just to let you know I'm still hanging on in there and still very positive.

I still cannot notice any improvement in the vision of my left eye but my right eye is doing good, its a lot better first thing in the morning and starts to go worse in the afternoon so I have made my opticians appointment for 3pm but now that my heyfevers kicked in I don't think thats helping either.

Kathy

[Mickey H]

Hi Kathy, I had Intacs inserted in my left eye about a week ago now and must admit I can't see any improvement (still just haze and blurs) but I can't complain as the surgery was painless and I haven't had any of the side effects I have heard others talk of (eg headaches, reactions to antibiotic drops, pain post op etc) although driving at night is a bit like going to a disco and standing near a mirror ball.

I was reading your experiences with a great deal of interest and was wondering how your sight is progressing four months down the track?

I am going to see my eye bloke on Monday and hopefully will be a bit wiser as to how my eye has progressed (I couldn't even see the chart with my left eye prior to surgery)

Has your vision in the left eye improved, or is it still the same?

Mike

[Andrew MacLean]

Mickey H

Welcome to the forum

Let us know how you get on with your appointment on Monday. Intacs has been an interest of many folk here for a while.

Do you mind me asking where you had the surgery?

Andrew

[jayuk]

Mickey

I think you would need to wait around 6 weeks for the cornea to settle...and also...bear in mind that Intacs are primarily used to reshape the cornea thus allowing the contact lens to fit more evenly on the cornea;

J

[Mickey H]

Hi guys, for those of you interested in Intacs I can give you a bit of an update on my progress and my eye doctors thoughts.

Just a quick history to start with, I have Keratoconus in both eyes but it is quite stable in the right eye. I can function well with glasses and contacts (which is important as I love playing sport), but I have injured my right eye twice in the last ten years and both times it has made me realise how poor the vision in the left eye really is. After visiting an eye specialist he told me about a clinical trial to be undertaken in Sydney with Intacs and that I would be a good candidate for the trail.To cut a long story short I had a million tests, had the operation 10 days ago and today went for my second visit. I originally thought I would give the Intacs a go as I could barely see the top letter (E) on the eye chart with my left eye. My eye bloke made it very clear that there are no promises, but the Intacs may give me a slight improvement to my sight and more to the point greater options re glasses and contact lenses.

I am not very well versed in the medical jargon, but the Doc showed me a graph of my eye before and after the operation and the shape has changed dramatically (for an example of what I am talking about see http://www.keratoconussolution.com/main/caseexpls.html). Now it is only early days but I can now read the second top line of the eye chart and although my vision comes and goes I can sometimes read signs with my left eye unussisted (although with a bit of double vision) when I am walking, something I haven't been able to do in years.

Now this may not sound like much, but any improvement is a plus.

I don't have another appointment for a month, but I will try to give you updates as anything new occurs.

Hope someone finds this of help.

Mickey H

[Andrew MacLean]

Mickey

Thank you for bringing us up to date. Everybody here wishes you well, and like the rest, I look forward to hearing how things go at next month's appointment.

I'm just a little bit sorry that Intacs and some of the other new electives were not available when I was at an earlier stage. then again, I did have many years of good correction from contact lenses, so I have nothing to complain about.

Andrew

ps I just noticed that this is my post number 2121. Does anyone remember the old Zagar and Evans song?

[jayuk]

Mickey

Thats really good news!...The next thing would be to get a lens on maybe? or try glasses once you get the go ahead?...as it will be interesting to see how the shape of the cornea has changed...and whether that change is positive!.......

J

[Stephen Borthwick]

Good to hear from Mickey - I felt sure there was someone else out there who was having INTACS.

I had my left eye done in June, and I was quite disappointed that, at first, nothing seemed to happen. In fact, after a month, I had come to the conclusion that it was actually worse. However, after nearly 3 months the change is dramatic. The vision in my eye is changing quite quickly (2 dioptres in 6 weeks) and I'm going to have to change my glasses soon to maintain everyday vision.

[Mickey H]

Stephen, the timing of your message was perfect. Nearly a month in and I truly believe my eyesight isn't as good as it was before the Intacs operation.

I just have to keep reminding myself that it is early days, and I have to be patient.
I am back at the eye Doc next week for my one-month consultation, so I’ll keep you all posted.