Quicktopic posts: Sep 2003

[Rob Armstrong]

Hi Laura.

My lenses (now lens) have always clouded up, especially noticable towards the end of the day, it seems to gradually build up. Look at a light and you'll really notice it. Do you suffer from dry eyes? Have you noticed it more during the recent hot weather?

It could be that your lens doesn't fit properly anymore, and your tear flow is being affected. I've noticed this problem worsen recently too. I only got my new lens yesterday and its still happening. I seem to get a wet patch at the side of my eye quite soon after lens insertion, which then goes sticky, and eventually leaves dry deposits. The hospital gave me some Refresh drops to try, which does give temporary relief. I'll mention it when I go back the hospital tomorrow. But get it checked out, just in case it is an infection.

Rob.

[Sue Ingram]

Dear Caroline (2029), Dr Dexter was at the KC Conference in June this year and he wanted volunteers to take part in trials to see if acupuncture can help KC - maybe more with the problems we experience (like dry eyes as you said), rather than to actually cure it.

I am not sure if Dr Dexter is still looking for volunteers but his telephone number is 020-7624-2804 and his practice is in Maida Vale, London, W9, if you wish to give him a call. Good luck. SUE

[Hlooby@aol.com]

Hi Rob,
Many thanx that is of a great help. Every question you asked is a yes answer. I do get dry eyes and a wet patch in the corners. I have seen the refresh drops about. Do you know if you can get these on prescription? I have not tried them but would like to, just to see if they make any improvement. My eyes seem to be worse at work, I think it may be the dry atmosphere in the place itself, also if I ever work in the stockroom I find the dust a problem. But I don't have a very sympathetic boss. Maybe I should write her a fact sheet or print one off. People I explain it to seem to dismiss the problem as ordinary short/long sightedness. Ah well. Thanx again you have been a help. Laura

[Rob Armstrong]

Hi Laura,

glad it was some help. Like I said, I've always suffered this problem, but over the summer its been a lot worse. The hospital gave me a box of Refresh drops to try, so I wouldn't know if you can get them on prescription. I haven't used that many of them to be honest though, because I basically gave up wearing my lens (only wearing it two or three days a week at most) Got told off for that at the hospital today, been told to start again with my new lens-gradually building up my wearing time from scratch. Hopefully that will help improve things, I'm back at the hospital in a few weeks to see how I'm getting on.

I know what you mean about problems in work, when I was at uni I worked weekends at the local Kwiksave - only ever wore my lenses there a few times, dry eye nightmare! Managed to muddle through for over a year, but my vision started going downhill fast. Had to admit defeat in the end. My bosses and some of my colleagues didn't really get the whole Keratoconus problem either.

But, on a MUCH more positive note, in the last three days everything has come good. I asked about glasses for my grafted eye on Tuesday, at the hospital. But they were reluctant to try me with glasses at the moment, as I have only had a few stitches out so far, and obviously, my vision could alter significantly if and when the remaining ones are removed. But today I reiterated the ongoing reliability problems with my contact lens, how I can't depend on it, and how I'm hoping to go back to uni in January. They agreed that my vision had been pretty stable for months now, and that at almost 9 months post op, I was getting close to the big 1 year milestone. I was warned repeatedly that no-one can predict how often I will need the prescription changing, but I've endured that situation with my contact lenses for years now, and I figure that the chances of being without my glasses AND my lens at the same time is pretty slim-its got to be better than struggling with my lens alone.

Anyway, I've got my prescription on my desk right now, I'm going to the local opticians to pick some frames tomorrow!!!!! I almost can't believe it, this is going to change everything!

So for all those people who have recently had, or are soon to have a graft operation, it might not seem like it now, but hopefully it will be worth it.

Rob.

[steven comyns]

hi

Any one out there that has had laser treatment on a grafted cornea?

if so please contact
stevencomyns@yahoo.co.uk

thanks

[mohammed khan]

Hi

Anyone out there had a lameller graft really worried had full graft on left eye which is rejecting consultant suggested lameller graft on right eye.


If so contact manjit@kaur2017.freeserve.co.uk

[gemstone@umbilical.demon.]

Laura said:

Towards the end of nearly
every day at the moment my lenses seem to 'cloud' over. It
seems to be a sticky sort of stuff. Could I have an infection?
Well, it could be. If you've an infection, you'll have it
"round the clock", though. Do your eyes gt sticky without the
lenses? Do you wake up in the morning with your eyes all gummy
or even with your eyelids glued tightly together and you have to peel all the goo away before you can open them? (Oh, memories!
- takes me back to having measles as a kid and getting the eye
problems too. How annoyed I was when only a few months later
there was a vaccine against measles!)

It could also be a tolerance problem with the lenses - I used to get mine clogging up with goo, particularly at the end of a long day, or in the hay fever season. The only real answer I found
was to take the lens out sooner, or try taking it out and
resting the eye and putting it back later, freshly washed and
wetted.

There seem to be a lot of people this year complaining of hay
fevery type symptoms well after the normal end of the season -
maybe it's because it's been so dry and dusty this year.


Laura also said:
Plus I am having problems with the
hospital, I was due for a check up in June and it keeps getting
cancelled. I'm not having too much problem at the moment but it
is very annoying as I have questions I want to ask.

Sorry to hear that! Hope you get in there soon.

Laura:
my doc
hasn't been very good so far at helping me out with my eyes so I dont want to bother him if I dont have to.

Hmmmm. Sorry to hear that. However......

A few years go I was at a meeting with a friend of mine who's a
doctor. We'd had a talk from a guest speaker (I forget what
about) who my friend had known when they were both medical
students together. We - me, my friend and his friend the guest
speaker - were chatting over coffee at the end of the meeting
and somehow the subject came up of what was wrong with my eyes
and I said I had KC.

"Keratoconus?" our guest speaker said. "You mean, real people
actually get that?? I always thought it was something the
textbook writers had invented to plague the lives of medical
students!"

He then went on to say that eyes are a very complicated subject
that most doctors leave strictly to the specialists. Most GPs,
he said knew only two things about eyes: 1. if it's an eye
problem, it's probably conjunctivitis; tell them it's that and
give them some eye drops for it; and 2. if it isn't
conjunctivitis it's far too complicated; send them off to
Moorfields.

And before I get kicked off the list for casting nasturtiums on
the capabilities of medical professionals (!), I'd better add
that I'm making no comment at all on the abilities of Laura's
doctor (only that I'm sorry she's less than happy with him), nor any other doctor, merely relaying this conversation as an
interesting anecdote that may be amusing or may be indicative
of.... well, of something or other.

Rosemary

--
Rosemary F. Johnson

[Hlooby@aol.com]

Hi Rob,
Just to say that's great news you've got, hope everything goes well. Laura

[Caroline Dyer]

Dear Mohammed

Regarding lamellar graft, you may find this is better. I think that is the same as I have recently had, The DLK(partial thickness) graft, leaves the base of your cornea before attaching the donor one.As some of your original cornea remains it makes rejection less likely. I had this done in August and so far so good.
Good Luck, Caroline

[waz,prereg.Optom]

I have early keratoconus the mild form, my VA with spectacles is 6/9 in both eyes, I am interested in wearing contact lenses is there any recommenedations on the best one to try. Also I have previously had retinal detachment surgery in my left eye, with a scleral buckle attached... now I was wondering whether this would be damaged with wearing contact lenses.. thank you for your help people I can be emailed was_eemmajid@hotmail.com