(Intacs) Excellent experience at The Centre for Sight

[GarethB]

I had already had two grafts, right eye in 1988 and the left in 1989.

Purchased the Capri on 13 March 2004 and I though the problem driving it would be due to a joint problem I sufferd at work as the Capri does not have power steering.

It was 4th August 2004 that I noticed I had vision problems while racing in a classic event on the old Nordschife part of the Nurburgring, it was raining slightly but my vision seemed worse as the race progessed into the evening, I was finding seeing the car infornt hard and the corners too. We just put it down to being tierd because I had driven all the way there, nearly 600 miles in the car I was racing.

It was not until I got back to work on 9th August 2004 that I realised how bad things were when I could not see the monitor on my computer and got real bad headaches. The nurse sent me home and I got fast tracked into the NHS system where KC was rediagnosed in my first grafted eye.

The doctors were horrified to find what I had been doing a few weeks before but they agreed it at least explained why my then 31 year old car at 150 bhp was keeping up on a damp track with 250bhp 4 wheel drive Escort Cosworths

[Eddie S]

Gareth,

I think you may have hit on a new extreme sport! - driving fast around a circuit with KC!

Have you ever visited Goodwood for the revival meeting? They race the old Mk1 Cortinas (and much older cars) around the circuit as if they rolled off the production line yesterday. A fantastic day/weekend out if you've never been before.

Pleased you survived to tell the tale (and my cheekiness!)

[GarethB]

Love Goodwood Festival of speed.

I have ben contacted by the owner of one of the Works DTM Capri RS3100's. He arced it last year at Lugan Seka and has invited me to look at the car, need to deliver anew block to him too. He is thinking about bringing the car to Europe for a Le Mans classic, so I am trying to see if I can get him to leave the car in the UK for Goodwood, Classic Car Show at the NEC and a few other classic car events.

In talks with Gaydon Motor Heritage center owned now by Ford to see if they will put the car on display for when it is not on show elsewhere.

Back to the KC, managed to get fitted with glasses in March and still getting used to them before we can up the power in the right eye. Once that is done, I should be able to get my MSA licence reinstated and compete again at club level.

Would be good to have the KC group logo on the car too, but may not use the Capri, I want to put a 2.9 V6 24 valve Cosowrth enging into a mark 3 Cortina

[Louise Berridge]

Hi Dplees,

I was wondering if you would name the well known practice where you had your first INTACS put in?
I had some put in on Wednesday and was hoping it wasn't the same place!
Cheers
Louise

[dplees]

Which clinic put your intacs in?

Just out of interest how is your vision? Mine is fluctuating. Seems to be great in the morning but gets worse throughout the day

[Louise Berridge]

I had mine put in at the LCRS.
My sight doesn't seem to be much clearer at the moment. The colours are weird, but I guess that's the inflammation.
I didn't have any gritty feeling a day or 2 after, but now on the 4th day I'm getting a real gritty feeling where the stitch is. I'm wondering if I've split it.
What does your surgeon say about visual recovery time?

[Stephen Borthwick]

Hello folks - I've had INTACS too in both eyes seperately: L in Jun 06, R in Jan 07. My experience of recovery is that it takes much longer than dp experienced. I had them both under general anasthetic at Birmingham & Midland Eye Centre. My L eye is still changing slowly (for the better) and has pretty much stabilised now. R eye seems to have stabilised too - I'll find out Thurs at a refraction clinic appt. I was particularly sensitive to bright light for a good 2 weeks after each op and I wouldn't have felt confident driving. My vision isn't dramatically different to what it was before, but there has been some change in the KC symptoms (glare, plumes etc). What does make a difference is my new ability to tolerate lenses. Actually my stitch is still in my R eye (another job for Thurs). If yours is irritating you Louise then I'd get it seen too!

[dplees]

LCRS is not the clinic that I had the problem with.

The vision in my right eye has dramatically improved over the weekend - I'm not sure if this is due to the fact that i have rested it or if it is just healing.

It is a week since the Intac was fitted and i haven't expereinced any light sensitivity or pain. Infact it feels more comfortable than my left eye which was fitted 18 months ago - I will be having this retreated by Shiraz at the Center for Sight. I've now had intacs fitted by laser and manually and i can definately say that the laser method is far better - in terms of comfort.

[Louise Berridge]

Hi there,

Good to hear yours has improved. I don't think mine has yet. Did you have 1 or 2 INTACS put in? I have 2.

I had the manual method and it still feels like I have something in it, probably because I have.

Louise

[dplees]

I had one intac put in, but have 2 because i have still have one from a previous attempt.
I cant feel the new on at all.

I'm having the other intac removed within a month and at centre for sight and this will then be reimplanted after 3 months. Which means that i'll will only be with good vision in one eye, my dominant one, not sure how easy this will be to handle.

PS the other intac is being removed because it was only inpanted at 50% depth when i had it inserted 18 months ago and i can still feel it, when it is reimplanted it will be at 80% depth.