Quicktopic posts: Oct 2003

[Nassar]

Nassar said:
I got my contact lens for my keratoconus last tuesday, have had a few difficulties putting them in, getting better. I have been wearing them over the days for a few hours, more and more. But
the last two days i have noticed my eyes are a little bit red. Could you please let me know what it could be???

It could be that you've built up the wearing time a little too
fast and your eyes are getting a bit sore from the unaccustomer
lens wear. You could try taking it easy (ie. less wear a day)
for a few days and see if that makes them better, before starting increasing the time again.

Rosemary

--
Rosemary F. Johnson

Thanks Rosemary.

I have been wearing them for long times in the day. So I will give your advice a go. Thanks.

Could you also please let me know, if wearing one lens on its own is good or bad to do cause when I put my right contact in i can see well. The left eye is the bad one.

Again thanks for your help

[Sue B - Hertfordshire]

Nassar
I often wear only one lens when I am having 'bad eye days'. I find it better to wear one for a couple of hours then take it out and insert the other for a couple of hours. That way I can have some vision all day (one lens in only) rather than good vision for a few hours (with both lenses in)and then very little vision when I have to take both out because my eyes are rejecting them.
I think you will find that many people on this site do the same, so no need to worry. BUT do be careful when doing things that require full sight. It is very easy to misjudge distances etc with only one eye functioning correctly. I have tripped up kerbs and steps on several occasions and even tried to walk through a closed glass patio door! Also, I do not drive with only one lens. But apart from that, I can function reasonably well with just the one when I have to.
Good luck
SueB

[Andrew Bosanquet]

Nassar said:

> Could you also please let me know, if wearing one lens on its
own is good or bad to do cause when I put my right contact in i
can see well. The left eye is the bad one.

I would strongly advise persevering with both. I have used corneal lenses for over 25 years. When one eye had a bad lens day, I took the lens out and give it a rest. Sometimes my cornea needed a rest for a few days. If you have two lenses that work OK most of the time, this is easy. I am even quite happy driving with one lens (but many are not).
I am now down to only being able to wear one lens (my left eye has says it has had enough of corneal lenses). When my right eye has a bad lens day, I have a problem.
Hence my suggestion to persevere with both. If you get to wear them both for 14 hours a day for 25 years (as I did) it is well worth the effort. Just do not ask too much of your eyes too soon!
Best wishes
Andrew

[Sue Ingram]

Hi Andrew (2085), Have you tried scleral lenses at all? I had exactly the same problem as you whereby my 'good' eye decided after 25 years of corneal lens wear that it had had enough! I was then offered sclerals; these fit over the whole eye, look pretty scary, but are 100% more comfortable than corneal lenses. Sometimes the vision is not so good as in my case. However, I now wear glasses as well as the sclerals and everything is hunky dorey! As suggested a few times before, all Keratoconics should be given corneal lenses AND scleral lenses so that at least we are able to give our eyes a rest when we want to. Take care. SUE

[Sue Ingram]

Nassar (2083), Sounds like you may have built your wearing time up a little bit quick on your corneal lenses if you only got them a week ago. As already suggested, give your eyes a bit more time to get used to them. However, in the long term, if one of my lenses was playing up I used to leave it out for a few hours and found that by giving my eye a rest, it was fine when I put it back in (I could only do this with my 'bad' eye though, as I am totally reliant on my 'good' eye). After a while, you will find the best way of managing your lenses to fit in with your own lifestyle. Good luck. SUE

[Philip - London]

Hi Sue (2086),

Do you suffer from Dry eyes? How do you find the scleral lenses work when your eyes are dry?

I have an appt at moorefields on the 11th where I will ask about the scleral's. I suffer really bad dry-eye and unfortunately have a scar on my right eye, right in the middle that tends to get irritated easily with the RGP's. I often find when my eyes are dry I get (visable) white mucus build-ups on the scared area.

Depressing really, especially as my other eye tends to play up if I wear lenses too many days in a row.


Regards,

Philip.

[Sue Ingram]

Hi Philip (2088), I must admit I do not find that I have dry eyes with the sclerals - I can wear them all day, sometimes for up to 18 hours with no problems. I sometimes get a bit of mucus towards the end of the day if my eyes are a bit tired. However, this is nothing in comparison to the mucus that I used to get with the corneals in the last few years that I was wearing them.

I would definitely give the sclerals a try - they should help with the scar as they do not touch the cornea at all so should not irritate it. You might find that by wearing sclerals for a while, it gives your eyes a rest and you can go back to wearing the corneals or even mixing and matching as I used to do. Good luck and let us know how you get on at MEH. SUE

[adam rhodes]

Hi Sue, I ve had keratoconus for over 20 years,and tried a sclerol about 15 years ago and found it very difficult to actually get in my eye, has ther been any improvements ?

[Nassar]

Thanks to everyone who replied, i will take all this in and hopefully everything should be fine. Will let you know.

Thanks again

[Andrew Bosanquet]

Sue Ingram said:
> Hi Andrew (2085), Have you tried scleral lenses at all?

I have been meaning to post that I went to Bristol Eye Hospital 2 weeks back and there was a new optometrist. She went through all my last 5 years notes and we had a good discussion.
The previous optometrist had been trying to get me onto a soft lens for my left eye. However, I decided that it did not really give me a significant improvement in vision to be worth the bother.
Anyway, I asked to try a scleral lens. She said she would refer me to Oxford (and not Moorfields as I expected) for fitting and then come back to Bristol for follow-up. The best bit was that I was to go to Ken Pullen’s once-a-month clinic there. I was delighted.
I have tried scleral lenses twice before – once in 1962 when I was 10 and at boarding school and again two years later. Not a good idea at that age on your own! At least it means that I do not expect any problems with one now.
Anyone know what the referral time is to Ken Pullen’s clinic is? I immagine waiting 6 months to get in.
Andrew