Quicktopic posts: Jan 2004

[sajeev]

Andrew,
What a great post! Thanks for your input.
Regards
Sajeev

[John Smith]

Rosemary said:
Another nice thing would be to have topic titles.
Every single email that arrives here has a
title "Keratoconus" which makes it hard-to-impossible
to follow topics.

Absolutely, the new forum will be organised like that. We will have one or two forums, each of which will have a number of topics. Each topic will effectively be titled like the subject line of an email, and any replies to that mail will be kept in the relevant topic.

John

[David Bennett]

HI all,

I'm an optometrist in Nottinghan UK, and interested (inevitably - as that's why I'm here!) in KC. I'm willing, as I'm sure all other Optoms out there on the forum are, to *try* to answer some of your questions...although I won't promise anything!
Interesting to read the posting recently about KC sufferers coming from a different "perspective" than Health Care professionals, or Eye Care professinals (ECPS)(I actually agree on the whole!)

However I *can* promise to be biased to contact lenses as they are great and as I have Known Ken Pullum (for more years than I can care to imagine) I have come round to the idea that sclerals are the way forward for advnced KC. I suppose you could say I'm a non interventionist as far as grafts are concerned!! Sure they do have their place, but exhausing the possibilites before surgery must be the way forward.

OK that's my bit. Thanks for listening and I hope that I am able to contribute to the forum over the next few years.

Best wishes and happy new year.

David
David Bennett
Brooks and WQardmna Optometists
28 The Ropewalk
Nottingham
NG1 5DW
0115 947 6309

[Brian Taylor]

Hi Jay

I was flying in commercial aircraft within a month of both of my grafts in 1996 flew many times no problem also with the knowledge of my Doc.
Brian

[Brian Taylor]

Hi David

I welcome your input.

After having 4 grafts to date and maybe due a 5th I agree grafts should be a LAST resort but from my experience are well worth it in the end.

Many thanks for taking the time.

Brian

[Dave D]

It is fantastic to know that someone like David is willing to answer our questions...which is often all I require is a little reasuurance so thnaks for that David!!

I have my first question! I recently had an eye test at one opticians and had the lenses made to this presciption at another op's at these were cheaper. Problem is now that one of the lenses is really bad and does not improve my vision at all, infact the old lenses that were removed, which I kept are better.

So what can I do in this situation.....I have a pair of glasses of no use to me due to the recent reglaze. I guess the testing op will check the lenses first to ensure they have been made to his presciprtion andI know that KC cannot progress that much in 2 weeks!

Cheers guys and thanks again David....if I lived in Nottingham you could have my custom ;o)

Dave.

[ANDY]

Im ANDY, 32 and have had KC since i was 18,I was wondering whether or not YOUR eyes get as sore as hell,i have to have my contacts in for at least 11 hours a day sometimes 16 hours,I know i shouldnt really but that is so i can goto work let alone sit at home and relax and watch a bit of tv,i am 100% blind without my lenses,i cant even see a number plate at 1 feet.It gets to the stage whereby more than 6 hours and my sore red eyes make me look as though i am on drugs.This is making me feel depressed and although i love my job i really want to give it up and go on the sick,This may sound like taking the easy way out but i am so fed up with the constant soreness,aching, days off work here and there,cars are all i know and at the end of february i am going to attend an MOT testers coarse which is good,BUT that will still mean i have to have my lenses in for at least 11 hours a day AGAIN.Being worried about the soreness etc has now made me a bit agraphobic and the thought of retraing to a different career is quite frightening.
WHAT WOULD YOU GUYS DO any help greatly appreciated.
Best Regards
ANDY

[Rob Armstrong]

Well, its been a year since my graft, and looking back really brings home what a massive improvement in vision it has given me.

This time last year, I would have been typing this at 300% (Only because that was the biggest it would go) and would have my nose so close to the screen that I would get the odd static shock, not to mention the constantly stiff neck. Today I'm sitting here typing this at normal size, sitting back in comfort, and I haven't even got my glasses on today.

I'm not saying its perfect, far from it, and some days are better than others. But I only need to close my right eye to remind me what things were like, my left eye used to be my GOOD eye!

I still remember being disappointed when they took the bandages off the next day, and gave me a vision test, all I could see was an impenetrable orange mist. But it gradually got better, during the early weeks it was amazing to wake up each day and notice a slight improvement, especially as waiting for the op had really gotten me down.

Things have steadily improved, notably around the 6 month mark, when I had some stitches removed, and in October, when I persuaded the hospital to try me with glasses (which have had a dramatic impact on my everyday life). Things have continued to improve, the last few weeks I've barely worn my glasses, as apart from first thing, I've noticed I can often see better without them. (I'll have to mention this at my next appointment on Monday).

In fact Monday is going to be a busy day, as straight after my appointment, I've got to go and re-enroll at uni, which is going to feel a bit weird, as I had to put that on hold over 18 months ago. It's gonna be hard work but I can't wait!

For those people who have an upcoming graft or have recently undergone surgery, I know you might be a bit daunted by it all, I know I was, but just be patient and hope for the best.

Anyway, figured this place needed a positive post for a change.

Happy New Year everyone!

Rob.


P.S. I just want to point out that grafts aren't a magical fix, at best its a patch up really and I've been very lucky so far. I now know I certainly wasn't given all the facts at the time, so find out as much as you can and weigh up all the options for yourself. Thats about all any of us can do.

[David Bennett]

For Dave D, posting about his problems with his specs.

Hi Dave, Tricky one thiis, but ti;lltell you what I do.

If the refraction and prescription is made up by the sam person or practice then I don't think you would have many problems. If the spectacle lens is nmade correctly to the issuing prescribers prescription - go back to the issuisng prescriber and ask him/her to check it. For example is it the same refractive index? has it been centered correctly?

KC and spectacles are notorious difficult...am I right or am I right! The prescription often varies from day to day, light level to light level, head position to head position, etc etc etc. I tend only to give specs to early KC's with relatievly low levels of astigmatism (say under 4D) although tolerance can very greatly! But as with all HCP/ ECP's our opinions vary due to experience and practical consideration.

Go back and have a chat to the prescriber and see what the opinion is.

just my 2p
Best wishes

David

[Scott Readman]

Hi all,

Wondered if anyone could help.

I have severe KC in my right eye. A rigid lens couldn't be fitted and I had to stop wearing a soft lens about 1 year ago due to it either hurting and causing redness or just falling out. I haven't been back to the opt's since as I was so happy that my eye didn't hurt anymore. My eye doesn't seem to have got any worse but obviously hasn't got any better.

As lenses either don't fit or cause too much discomfort what else can I do?

Thanks in advance.

scott