Eye lid stitching

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Anne B
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Eye lid stitching

Postby Anne B » Thu 20 Aug 2015 2:17 pm

Hi all,

Hope you are all well?
It's been a long time since I have used this site, but I have returned as I need your friendly help and advice!!
I recently had my right eye regrafted after a run of infection left my previous transplant cloudy (although we speant 7 happy years together!!).
Since having the re graft I have been left with a part of the epithelium that has not healed over. We have tried many things such as lubricant,increased steriod drops and a bandage lens but have had no joy.
I go back to moorfields on Monday with the hope that it has healed but if it hasn't the plan is to remove a stitch and put two more in (as there is a part of my own cornea that is sitting proud of the donors) and the put some sitches in my eye lid to keep it shut. this is booked for Wednesday. I have not had the chance to ask any questions (just recieved a text alert telling me of my planned admission) which I will do on Monday, but I was wondering if anyone else here had been through the same thing?
As you can imagine I'm feeling rather anxious about the whole thing!!
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Anne Klepacz
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Re: Eye lid stitching

Postby Anne Klepacz » Thu 20 Aug 2015 4:14 pm

Hi Anne,
Really sorry to hear about all these complications. What you describe sounds very unusual, so I'm not sure you'll find anyone else who's had quite the same thing. But I'm pretty sure that one of our members had his eyelids stitched when he had some pioneering DALK surgery quite a few years ago now. I'll PM you. Here's hoping it will be better news on Monday, but I'm sure you'll go in armed with a long list of questions in case it isn't.

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John Smith
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Re: Eye lid stitching

Postby John Smith » Sun 23 Aug 2015 9:19 pm

Hi Anne,

Yes, that member is me!

Back when I had my second graft, it was decided that to give the eye the best chance, I had a donated stroma (middle bit) grafted in to my eye, and then it was kept closed with a nylon staple (the same sort that is often used in clothing!) to allow my eye to grow its own epithelium (front bit).

That was largely successful, as I didn't have a rejection in that eye for 9 years, compared with 11 rejections in the "normal" eye!

I've posted some photos at http://www.kcgroup.org.uk/features/blogs/john_smith so you can see the stapled eye.

All the best for tomorrow.

John
John


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