Quicktopic posts: Feb 2002

[Alice Caudle]

Dear Sue,

I do get the same thing as you where artifical light inhances my vision and natural light seems to hinder it. For example, if someone stands near the window in a room I find it very difficult to see them. Having the light on helps at all times even when others think it unneccessary.

It's strange that the opposite happens when I have my lenses in and that I then find it more difficult to see indoors!

Alice

[Janet Manning]

Is anyone going to be at Moorfields tomorrow? i haven't got definate appointment in Red clinic - going via Casualty as my eyes are very inflamed and it's the only way to get seen earlier. Hoping to get sent round to Red clinic to check if the sclerals are O.K. and the grafts holding up. Should be there in the afternoon, allowing for a long wait in Casualty in the morning. Would be nice to have someone to chat to.
Janet

[Freddy Bull]

Dear Paul C

Yes, I have had a graft op and I can now drive, happily at night as well as in the day. I can read for hours and use a computer for hours too! I am honestly delighted with the op even though it took lots of recovery time. I had the op in April and returned to full duties in November.

Before the op I had seriously considered having to give up my job as a Secondary School Deputy Head and thought of having to move house so I could to walk to school and work part-time. I also had great problems seeing kids - I know that sounds daft - but now I am back at work I realise children have faces, eyebrows etc!! I just could not keep up with a busy working life and I got so tired trying to cope with lenses, glasses, reading and driving.

I am now feeling so much better and I have the confidence back that I lost when I needed help to get around before the op. I have a new role at work and I am going from strength to strength. I am also just about to have the final assessment for my Preparation for Headship Qualification, so I may well look for a new job in the near future too!

IF you want to email me direct please do freddy.bull@btinternet.com
Keep healthy, Freddy Bull. Northamptonshire, UK

[Amanda Stigle]

Dear Janet Manning
Sorry to hear you are struggling with your sclerals. If you go to A&E ask to be seen by the on duty contact lens superviser. It might be worth your while ringing the Hospital and asking to speak the CL Duty Superviser for advice first.If you have any other quieries on this write back or e-mail me on "astigle@aol.com".

[Kate Love]

Hi Freddy
So, someone else in the same situation as me!! I am a promary deputy head, and have the same problems that you had - you devise all sorts of strategies to cope with identifying kids in a class, don't you? My class say that although I may not be able to see very well, they can't get away with anything as I hear them thinking about being a nuisance1 Personally I put it down to 17 years of experience and professional instinct!

This is oof no relevance to anyone not in education, but I have just got my NPQH certificate signed by our dearly beloved Estelle Morris!! I had a few eye induced problems on the way, but was allowed to do all modules as school based assessment(Iwas cohort 6 under the old route). The final assessment day isn't really that bad - if you want the gruesome details contact me on kate@frampton21.fsnet.co.uk . Mind you, it's half term, and I am off to Prague tomorrow.

I have just submitted my first headship application - a local school, as I can't drive. I'm not sure I really want the stress of headship, but if it si meant to be, it will happen!

[John Smith]

Freddy,

Driving again in 6 months? Sounds good to me!

Are you wearing contacts over your graft, or have you had the stitches out early?

John

[Janet Manning]

Dear John
I got a soft perm lens about 2 months after each graft, which I wore over the stitches with no problem. Stitches only came out after about a year. Sclerals give me better correction than softperms, with which I experienced lots of 'ghosting' at night. Two bollards where there was only one etc. so no night driving! This does not happen for me with sclerals, so I'm able to drive at night now, though I stick to short routes I know.
Glad to hear you're doing so well. How did work go today?
Janet

[John Smith]

Hi Janet,

Work wasn't too bad today actually. I had 4.5 weeks of emails to plough through, and the headache only started coming on at about the 4 hour mark... so I went home ;-)

The penny hadn't dropped that you'd had grafts and are still wearing sclerals! That did surprise me - wasn't the idea behind the grafts to make things easier (or were you *really* bad beforehand?

I've been told that until 4 months (so about May), I won't even be able to use glasses in front of the grafted eye as it's changing so often, and it would be unlikely that I'd get a contact lens whilst the stitches are in place/ Thanks to your comments I can see if I can push my consultant/optician on this one.

John

[Catherine (Peterborough)]

OK folks, I think we've got the message - Kate's off to Prague today - have a fantastic time!!

To Kate and Freddie.
I have worked in marketing for twenty years and am starting to struggle with having to work with a computer nearly all day, plus driving to meetings etc., so am thinking about a change of career to teaching - it's something I considered originally as a first career anyway.

If you have any advice on the challenges of teaching with worsening vision or on whether I might be doing something really stupid (not unusual for me!), perhaps you could email me direct (save boring everyone else) on catherine.hewitt@lsc.gov.uk.

Thanks

By the way, fantastic amount of activity on the site at the moment. I only have a computer at work and I'm going to have to ask for special leave so I can find time to read all the emails!! I'm learning so much and it's great to feel part of a friendly group.

[Paul C]

Dear Freddy and others. It's very comforting to know that I am not alone with my problems. I guess I am very lucky to only have keratoconus in one eye (so far!).

Many comments made in this forum have made me think more about what my consultant has said. For example, he told me that he sometimes recommends a contact lens to improve vision further, but every time I have asked about the stitches, he has given me the opinion that the stitches only come out if they break.

One interesting point is that if the cornea doesn't have a blood supply (and therefore doesn't heal like normal tissue), what stops it falling out if the stitches are removed?

Thanks again for your comments.