Wearing one contact lens - does anyone else?

[Jennie_5678]

Hello Everyone!

I was just wondering whether I was the only one who wore one contact lens? The KC in my left eye is so bad that my optometrist cannot get a good enough fit! I wear just one contact lens at the moment in my right eye, but the thing is my left eye gets really sore and bloodshot when I wear my one contact lens I was wondering whether it would be best to get a graft done in my left eye to help balance them out?! I hope someone out there is just like me!

Take care,

Jennie xx

[longhoc]

Hi there Jennie

Well, a graft is a big step. A really, really big step in fact !

It might be the right choice for you, but what isn't a good idea is to end up opting for a graft when there might have been much less draconian alternatives. My view is, unless and until you've exhausted every other possibility, you shouldn't opt for a graft lightly. It isn't a risk free procedure and the outcomes can leave you with much worse vision than you started off with -- the complexities of correcting post-graft vision are harder than if you've got your own cornea for the most part.

So, have you had a -- polite (-ish!) -- moan at your optometrist (the person who looks after your contact lenses) about how you're experiencing problems ? If they're just throwing up their hands and shrugging, you can ask for a different optom who might be familiar with all the types of lenese which can help Keratoconus. If you've experimented with soft lenses for Keratoconus, semi-sclerals, sclerals and hybrids (part RGP, part soft lens) then you've been there and done that -- so do tell me if you've tried everything.

If you're convinced that lenses are not and never will be the answer, then you'll need to go to your GP in Primary Care (or, depending on how you get your lenses, if it is at a hospital then the optometrist there might be able to get this sorted) for a referal to an opthalmologist. They can give you guidence on a graft. Or you can see an opthalmologist privately. Waiting times on the NHS aren't the best, so if you're at the end of your patience this will speed things up.

That all said, I was in the same position as you. I'd really given all the lens types (short of sclerals) a go and I ended up coming to the conclusion that a graft was the only way forward that I could live with. So I know how you feel.

Does any of that help you with your decision ?

Best wishes, and a good chunk of sympathy too.

Chris

[andytraill]

To follow on from Chris.

I'm almost exactly the same my left is ok, my right is rubbish. I can wear two lenses piggybacked (soft then hard on top) in my right, it's "ok" but vision isn't great and if I do it one day chances are next day wouldn't be a good day. So most of the time manage on one eye. It works ok but does put a strain on your eyes and head it seems.

If you haven't been through loads of different contacts to try unless your guy is amazing then you've possibly got other options. Also there are some surgical techniques that might help but it's all very specific to that eye really.

I just noticed you say that you're on the waiting list for a graft so I'd assume that you've been placed on it for a fairly good reason. Depending on where you live as Chris says it might be an idea to go for a consultation privately at somewhere that specialises in KC.

[krolen]

hi Jennie, I currently have one contact in one eye, the other one has just had the cross linking done, it is very strange and for my bad eye seams to wander all over the place. Not sure if this is right or not.. I would suggest going to another optometrist and explain what you want to achieve and see if they can offer a solution, if they cant.. nothing ventured nothing gained..

krolen

[Jennie_5678]

Thank you for all your kind replies. It is good to know other people out there suffer from this horrible condition! Think I might go back to my optometrist and really press apon him, how much it hurts only wearing one contact lens!

Take Care,

Jennie

[GarethB]

I went ages with one lens, but that was so I could see long enough to get to and from work. Morning I would wear a lens in one eye and in the afternoon a lens in the other but this had to stop afetr a couple of instance where a sneeze could result in a lens coming out and doing 70mph on a motorway and going from sighted to being unable to see the steering wheel it was obviously too dangerous to continue. This was all down to getting a good lens fit on the right eye very hard but as I had been grafted already my options were no lens in that eye or a re-graft.

So pleased I explored other options as for the past 4 years (I think) I have been using soft lenses for irregular corneas and now I have almost a perfect lens fit and can see all day everyday and the quality of vision and VA is better than I ever had in my RGP lenses.

[jay87]

Up until 2 weeks ago I just wore an RGP in my right eye, as my left eye was almost perfect. I now wear a soft toric lens in my left with the RGP as vison has got sightly worse in it.

[xloz69x]

Hope you manage to get things sorted. Im only wearing one contact at the moment but thats because i had a graft on left eye 24.02.12.

[zeke]

Hello,
I have too been wearing just the one rgp lens in my left eye which runs along happily.My other eye has been suffering of of late with comfort issues abrasions infection for a while now so have been relying on the one lens too. So your by no means on your own ....

[Loopy-Lou]

I've always worn just one lens