Can finally (almost!) see properly

[craigthornton]

I had keratoconus since my early 20s, mild in the left eye, bad in the right.
In 2006, I developed hydrops in the right eye and had a graft later that year.
Then in 2007 when I awoke in a dream-like state, my left hand formed a fist and hit the right eye so hard it split the graft and the lens part of my eye came out.
I was rushed to the eye hospital, the graft was saved but the lens not replaced.
After the initial wait for the graft to re-settle, I was able to wear a right contact lens for some of the day, but not ever day due to tolerance.
In 2009 I developed a bad cyst/stye (always get the two confused!) on the right bottom eyelid, and it took several months to go, so no lens wear then. A few months later I got another one on the top eyelid though this went quicker.
In 2009/10 my stitches started to come loose and over time these were all taken out.
So since 2009 I have barely worn the contact lens in that eye. The vision is so bad (the missing lens part of the eye from the accident accounts for about 30% of the vision!) that I had no bincoular vision - that is no depth of field, just the illusion of perspective like in a drawing. Also the right eye gave blurred multiple images and the left and right eye images could not join together.
In short, a mess!
I asked my opthalmologist earlier this year if glasses could be tried at my next appointment. He said yes but in theory they might not work. Due to needing a high magnification in the right eye, the left and right eye would see different sized images and so the brain shouldn't be able to join them together. But some patients surprised them and it worked so we should try it.
I got a prescription at my last appointment in late March and collected my glasses last week.
I am amazed. I can see normally in front of me and if I glance left. No distortion, no multiple images and so much detail. Everything is like in a 3D film as I now have true binocular vision back.
If I glance right, the image bends and it magnifies greatly so I try not to do that. Also as I pan my head around, there is a split-second delay as my vision corrects itself.
But I am prepared for these small compromises as it means no further surgery to replace the missing lens (risky as it could make the cornea reject and not a guaranteed success)and as I said I've not been able to tolerate a contact lens in that eye for almost two years.
I still wear a contact lens in the left (the left glasses lens is just plain), but I've always been able to wear a contact lens all day in that eye anyway. I'm not sure if the aim is to prescribe a left glasses lens next time though.
Sorry for the very long post but I had to explain what I had been through and why this means so much. I felt a dark cloud lift when I tried the glasses on for the first time!

[Andrew MacLean]

Excellent news! I guess many of us have an idea of exactly the elation of looking out on a clear world for the first time. May it remain clear into a long future!

every good wish

Andrew