UK Keratoconus Self-Help and Support Association

anyone any experience? as I have been rx these ths morning by my consultant, been told 2 drops each eye daily for 6 weeks,

had another lower right plug fitted, told teh cataract is slow growing, the over granulated scar on the transplant from all the rejection episodes n infection is not looking "too nasty"

um how did the word FOR end up in the topic of this ? when I never put it in? and also the reason as to why I have been pescribed them appears to have been removed as well,

the reason being that all the steriods for the past nearly 4 years have resulted in weakening muscles of my eye lid causing distruption to it and droopyness

Hello Lea. This is a new one on me. I guess you have also checked on line and found that

"Ophthalmic erythromycin is used to treat bacterial infections of the eye. This medication is also used to prevent bacterial infections of the eye in newborn babies. Erythromycin is in a class of medications called macrolide antibiotics. It works by killing bacteria that cause infections."
Source: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/drug ... 13018.html

Do you have an eye infection or is it preventative following the fitting of your plug?

I'm sorry I';ve not been paying attention recently. I've been poorly for a couple of weeks, but I'm getting back now. I'm afraid I have no idea why the system changed the title but I presume the question was about erythromycin?

Hi Lea.

Thank you for your thread and posts which was the final straw for me and prompted me to raise this thread:-

http://www.keratoconus-group.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=13779

the reason being that all the steriods for the past nearly 4 years have resulted in weakening muscles of my eye lid causing distruption to it and droopyness

Please could you notify us of the steroid drops prescribed. What concentration and how often were you instructed to take them. Are the steroids preservative free?

Before my graft on 5 November I had asked if there were any negative effects of the medication prescribed to be applied by drops into the eye after the op:- steroids (to aid in resisting rejection), anti biotics (to prevent infection) and lubricating eye drops.

I was not informed that there were any negative side effect risks with taking the medication and I did specifically ask the question. Your above post therefore does concern me.

Steven

There seems to be a bit of a patchwork across the country on advice given before surgery. Among the things of which I was warned, both verbally and in writing (a leaflet) was that there was a possible risk of cataracts following use of steroids and a smaller risk of diabetes,

In the event I developed both. One cataract was removed surgically and my diabetes is comfortably controlled using metformin.

I do not, in any way, condone the lack of information given to you , but I'd be interested to learn how many others were given the quality of information given to me?

I don't know whether there are any stats on side effects, but from memory, there have only been a handful of forum users who have reported developing cataracts soon after graft surgery and only Andrew reporting diabetes. I have got early cataracts, but that happened 20 years after surgery (despite several rejection episodes which meant extra doses of steroids for a while) and at an age when I could probably expect them anyway!
Another possible side effect of steroid drops over time is increased IOP, but eye pressure is always measured at all follow up appointments post graft and is usually easily remedied with drops to reduce the pressure and sometimes a switch to a different steroid drop.
The effects of NOT using the steroid drops as prescribed are much more serious - graft rejection and a possible failed graft. So not taking the steroids is definitely not an option.
Anne

the steriods were both pred forte and dexamethazone

no infection in either eye as I specifically asked hence being baffled as I know eurethamicin is a anti biotic x

Yes those are the steroids I was given: Prednisalone and Dexamethafobe. I think they are primarily ores scribed as antiflamatories.
I wonder whether your latest antibiotics were prescribed to prevent infection following your latest procedure to fit the plug?
I've not been paying attention for nearly as long as Anne but I reckon she's right about the low incident of side effects. I do know of oeople who have reported raised IOP.

I was on dexamethasone (Maxidex) after my graft and all the rejections (unpreserved hourly, but can't remember the strength, maybe 0.2%?). That gave me high eye pressure, and to avoid glaucoma was presribed Xalatan drops, a beta blocker. It did the job well, but the side effect of that was to give me asthsma, permanently.

John