UK Keratoconus Self-Help and Support Association

Hi all,

I have managed to increase my weartime to around 6 hours a day, any longer and i can hardly wear them atall the next day.

I could rearly do with having good vision for a lot longer and as I have read here a simple (in theory) way is to wear one lens at a time, doubleing weartime!

I know there are people here who do this a lot of the time and was wondering how long it will take for my brain to get used to it.

I have been trying for 3 days now and have no trouble with just my right lens in as my left eye has always been the worst, but when i try with just my left lens i feel very lopsided, queezy and get a headache.

I don't feel safe to drive with just the left in and so put them both in to drive but this eats in to my weartime.

Does anyone drive with only one lens in?
Any tips to teach my brain?

Thanks all

Mark,

The reason you fel unbalanced is that your right eye is the dominent one and the left is unused to providing all the vision, so the brain is still trying to understand what the right is seeing.

For me, I found that it helped if I started first thing with the weaker eye. This is because as yet the brain has not decided you have good vision in either eye.

It took me about a month after getting my lenses, but I did have a head start in that the glasses I had at the time were usless for the right eye and corrected the left to just below the legal limit to drive.

Atfer a couple of months I did not need a rest period between switching lenses. Now it is like flicking a switch reagrding which eye the brain takes its information from.

It does take time getting used to driving because of the speed involved, but a local nstitute of Advance Motorists may be able to help with confidence, as long as you can achieve the minimum legal requirment to see with just one eye. They worked wonders for me and the examiner was surprised that firstly I had passes the IAM test 5 years before, but secondly I passed again while being clinically blind in my right eye, which I can now see out of again.

Persevere and give it plenty of time to adjust.

How much driving do you have to do?

Gareth

I usually drive for 2-3 hours a day but I work in a group responsable for a naional telecoms network so i could have to drive to anywhere from Glasgow to Plymouth at any time. Luckily i an still legal with glasses (right eye only) but i don't think i will be for long.

Mark

My own experience was the same as Gareth's. I learned quite quickly to select the eye through which I was looking. this came more naturally with the right eye, but did prove possible even with the left. When I had any sort of infection in either eye I'd revert to wearing a lens only in the other.

I guess it varies from person to person. I found this adjustment quite easy, but would find other adjustments made by people fairly well impossible.

Andrew

Hi

I guess I will be trying one lens only for a while as I have just lost another lens. After three hours searching my flat i am pretty much convinced it must have fallen out at work. Usually the sudden reduction in pain is an obvoius give away but I must have missed the signs this time. It explains why things were a bit blurry but to be honest some days are just like that - even with lenses.

I think my prescription has changed but still no word from the hospital about an appointment so I just wait.

brigid

Brigid

Hope you had the lens insured

Andrew

Mark

I haven't got a huge amount to add to all of this, but I thought the following might reassure you a little.

I was in a similar position to you back in Autumn 2004 when I first got my RGP lenses. Scared, depressed, denying, frustrated and so many other emotions and experiences.

It was horrible and I remember thinking it would never come right.

It did take some time, probably over half a year of perseverence and even some tears, but eventually I built up my tolerance levels and now wearing lenses is a walk in the park.

I know I'm lucky and not everyone has my experience, but I can't tell you how often I go to bed at night only to be asked by my wife if I have taken my lenses out....then I have to trudge off downstairs (to my lens station) and pop them out.

I can wear lenses day in day out for...well as long as I want really. I do try to give my eyes a rest on Sundays (Andrew would approve I'm sure ) but I do well.

The reason for sharing this is that I hope it gives you hope. I really was where you are now..keep going mate, you'll get there.

Don't be afraid to tell your optom either, it may be that the correct fit of lens is the next one to be tried.

Good luck mate.

Hoping that your wear time is getting better now? I never hsad a problem with wearing lenses and how long for. Two days after having them i was dam naughty and made ten hours, but i was fourteen then and just elated to be able to see!!

As for only wearing one lens that is all i have ever worn so i can understand that. I guess though that as my other eye is pretty useless i got used to it quicker as my brain has only ever used the one eye to see. So i can only imagaine how hard it must be to try to train your eye to use both eyes but one at a time!

Keep practising and hoping it goies well soon!

Sweet X x X

Sometimes the strength of correction in each eye is so different that you see images that are not the same size.

You can even get used to this. although if you like playing with visual effects, then this one can be interesting

Andrew

Argghhh Andrew will you please quit posting here because as quick as i catch up you overtake me again!! LMAO!!!