KC Stabilised at 29??

[jay87]

Hi All,

I hope you are all well!

It has been a while since i've posted but thank you very much for the newsletter Anne!

Well yesterday I had my annual Hospital appointment for a Pentacam scan etc to see how my KC is doing.

I was diagnosed in 2011, and now 6 years later I have been discharged to General Practice, to come back if I notice anything.

I have moderate KC with high astigmatism, however my topography has apparently stabilised and my vision has got better since last year!

I am also lucky in that glasses give me driving vision. I am 29, 30 this year.

Has anyone else heard of this?

Also, does anyone know if GPs can write complex optical vouchers for next year? I have one this year but usually get them from the hospital.

Many Thanks

Jake x

[Lia Williams]

Hi Jay,

Yes you should be able to get a complex optical voucher for your glasses from your optician when you go for an eye test.

More details can be found here:

http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcost ... omplexlens

To be eligible, your lenses need to be either -10/+10 dioptres or more, or prism controlled bifocal lenses.
Complex lens vouchers are a contribution towards the cost of these lenses – currently £14.60 for single vision lenses and £37.40 for bifocal lenses.
The vouchers are only available to those who meet the clinical criteria and are not eligible for one of the main optical vouchers.

Lia

[jay87]

Thank you very much Lia ,

Have a lovely weekend X

[jst_at_home]

Can I jump in on the back of this one?

My son has KC in both eyes and has had a successful intac procedure in his right eye at Royal Hallamshire in Sheffield. However the KC in his left eye is such that an intac is not possible. For the last 6 years son has been wearing a contact lens in his left eye both to stabilise his cornea and to correct his vision.

Ordinarily he has paid about £50 each year for the cost of his lens which usually requires a few visits and changes.

On the last time he went, the admin people at the opticians told him that as he had not been able to produce "a certificate" he would probably have to pay the full price and moreover, they said his optician had never claimed the NHS contribution for the last few consultations.

I suspect some of the issue here might be new staff. However, is the certificate Andrew needs the one referred to above, a complex optical voucher? If so is this provided by his optician or by his NHS consultant?

Sorry if this has already been asked but I couldn't find it and the NHS websiteis not especially helpful.

Many thanks

John

Ps I note the original poster is 29 and his glasses give him driving vision. My son Andrew is 28 and a bus driver. When his KC developed, DVLA gave him a 3 year PCV licence (instead of a licence to age 45) but at the end of the three years, January 2016, following medical reports his PCV licence was issued for the full term.

[Anne Klepacz]

The system is different for glasses and for contact lenses. People with KC usually have a 'clinical need' for contact lenses, which entitles us to get them at the NHS rate, which is currently £57 per lens. Those of us who get our contact lenses from a hospital with a contact lens department don't need vouchers - we just automatically pay the NHS fee when we're prescribed our lenses. Where a hospital doesn't have a contact lens department, they usually have a contract with a local optician who knows about KC and the hospital should provide a voucher (known as HESP) which can be taken to the optician. That's my understanding of how it's supposed to work - not sure if it always does in practice!

[jst_at_home]

Many thanks Anne, that's helpful.

John