Quicktopic posts: Nov 2002

[Janet Manning]

Hi Helen,
Thought another success story might encourage you. I had a rejection episode, caught early and treated with Maxidex and have had no further trouble. I also got raised eye pressure from the steroid drops, but once off them, this has settled and now I no longer need drops to control it.
Hope all goes well at the hospital today. let us know!
Take care,
Janet

[ally]

Hey All,

Just wondering if any of you can recommend some good solution/drops to stop my eye getting dry. I have only had my lens for about a week and I am having a hard time keeping my eye moist. I go about half an hour and I need to put drops in or take the lens out due to discomfort (I have a Rose K2 lens in my left eye). The Contact Lens clinic gave me some 'Refresh' drops for contact lens wearers but to be honest I don't think they help that much.

I would be grateful for any suggestions, Thanks.

Ally.

[gemstone@umbilical.demon.]

Kate has just had a hydrops, and wants to know how long such
things take to clear.

Well.... I hate to say this, but "it depends".

I've had four now. The first two - one in each eye - took about a month/six weeks to clear so I didn't feel I was trying to look out through a frosted glass bathroom window. the first one
cleared almost perfectly, the second left some scarring so the
vision was never quite so good afterwards, but eventually wasn't too far off what it had been.

The third and fourth - about 15 years later and in the same eye
as the second - were much less drastic. The fourth one was
clear enough to put a lens back in and use after about a week,
though there was then still a cloudy patch in the middle for a
while longer. (I didn't want to have to put a lens in it so
soon, but I had to work and the alternative - going to meet lots of new and influential people at a big meeting - was worse.)

I reckon that it also took, oh, 3-4 months before the hydropsed
eye recovered from being extra-sensitive and got back to the
former tolerance levels.

The bad news is that, apparently, sometime a hydrops never does
recover fully and needs grafting. I hope you're not in that
category.

The "standard wisdom" apparently is that it takes about 6 weeks
for a hydrops to "settle down" enough for the hospital folks to
be able to tell how well it will do and what will be the best
thing to do about it. Meanwhile, there isn't a lot they can do
about it. Other, of course, from make reassuring noises to the
patient and tell you to come back in six weeks time. And ask if you want to be prescribed a general, mild-pain-killer eye drop
(personally, I wouldn't bother; Paracetamol from the supermarket is much cheaper). Though the first time I had one, I didn't
know anything about it so had to discover all this.


Hope yours clears up well and isn't too sore.

Rosemary

--
Rosemary F. Johnson

[Helen Newham]

Hi everyone,
Sorry its late but appointment for 4pm did not get seen till 6.30pm then had to wait for prescription, did not get home till 9.30pm. My eye(left), appears to have stopped rejecting ,but was red,burning including cheek because I was allergic to the antibiotic drops, and to preservative in drops, now have new drops have to be kept in the fridge and keep for only a week.That was perhaps why it was so painful and was vomiting.steroids and antibiotics reduced to 6 times a day, dilate pupil twice a day ,glaucoma drops as normal. Have to return to hospital Nottm Uni QMC, on Thursday to see how it is progressing.Vision still very blurred cannot read first big letter on chart.Also a little concerned that vision in my right eye is declining , will I have to have a graft in that eye too?.
Thanks for all caring about me its nice to have some friends who understand.I appear to be on the mend, hopefully.
Love Helen

[Kate]

Thanks for the message Rosemary - it is good to hear both sides of the story! As yet there is no improvement in my vision - it is still thick fog! As I said, my problem is tht I have very little vision in my left eye so tht is now straining to work so they both feel sore. Did anyone have their hydrops eye patched during the day - does it help or should you leave it open to the air? I have to wear one of those really ferching eye shields at night - I have been told it looks as if I am going welding! Must go - time for abother eye drop!

[David Hollingsworth]

Hi Ally,

I have had the same problem with dryness. I've tried "Refresh" drops and "Comfort" drops. Both seem to work for about 10 minutes before the lens dry out and fogs up. I mentioned it to my consultant on Friday, and he prescribed "Viscotears" (it's cheaper to buy them over the counter). They are much more viscous than normal drops, and seem to last much longer.
Dave

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[Alison Frusher]

Hi, I was wondering if anyone out there has a young child with Keratoconus?, we are awaiting an urgent appointment with the top man at Gloucester Hospital to confirm that our 5 year old daughter has the condition. Can anyone give us any advice on things to know? alisonj.frusher@tiscali.co.uk

[Amanda Stigle]

HI Kate
Sorry that you have hydrops.I had hydrops in my left eye last year- so I know what you are going through.But I was lucky in that my vision in my left eye actually improved after the hydrops.It is now my better eye! I was told the chances of this was about 50/50. The bad news is you can't wear a lens until it has cleared. The epithelial tissues (outer layers) of the cornea take 4-6 weeks to clear. The eye will then look normal, but it takes anything from 4 months to a year to clear completely. Average is about 6 months. Mine took 5 months, and the worst pain was at the beginning, that first week.
You can find more information on this website about hydrops and you can e-mail me at astigle@aol.com.

[Amanda Stigle]

Dear Alison Frusher
There are younger children with KC, but not very many. It was largely thought that KC presents around puberty. But the youngest diagnosis I have heard of is 4 years old. It could just be that it is only over the last few years that KC has really started to be checked for in primary age children.
I know of no one with a child of that age at the moment, but in the mean time there are parents who have children in the 10-15 age group. They may contact you directly from your message on the discussion page. If not e-mail me and I will contact a couple of parents. Not everyone reads the discussion page regularily.
Don't forget there are lots of us out here, if you want to talk, or e-mail.

[ali cooper]

Thanks Dave,

Thanks for your suggestion, next time I nip into town I will see about getting some of those drops you mentioned and let you know how I get on with them.

Ally






>From: QT - David Hollingsworth
><qtopic+6-A46Jzt4sJAXLTWnJNHsx@quicktopic.com>
>Reply-To: QT topic <qtopic+6-A46Jzt4sJAXLTWnJNHsx@quicktopic.com>
>To: alicooperuk@hotmail.com
>Subject: Keratoconus
>Date: Tue, 19 Nov 2002 02:40:51 -0600 (CST)
>


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