UK Keratoconus Self-Help and Support Association

Please guide from where I can get the following lens :
BC = 6.7
Power= -3.50
Dia = 9.30
Material = CAB
I was using this lens since 1992, made by Ciba-vision , and discontinued. Have tried Rose K, and Persecon pek from DT with Hybrid FS material. These lenses work for about year and then developed sever allergy. Appreciate if anyone may guide me to help. Thanks
Ahmed Mahbub

Hello Ahmed,
Most of us get our lenses from one of the large city hospital eye departments, where the expert in contact lens fitting for KC are concentrated. That way you'd have access to a variety of lens types and hopefully find one that suited you. We also have a list of optometrists happy to see people with KC at
www.keratoconus-group.org.uk/optoms/index.php
if you prefer to go privately.

Hello Ahmed, and anyone else interested

I know this is a pretty old post, but I also know this kind of problem does not go away by itself.

It is a pity that the outstanding bi-elliptic design by CIBA Vision has been out of production a long time already. I have not found that kind of excellent fit anywhere else. It is a shame that this superior design has not been duplicated by anyone else ever since. This is a case of information/knowledge getting lost that we are facing more and more nowadays. Making searches for the original design, among the first hits you get is a link to the College of Optometrists museum.

Luckily, I have located a perfect replacement still available, a replica of the original design, called Rafael PEK. It is available from Intercont-Optika Kft in Hungary.

Even better, it is available in modern materials with high oxygen permeability. I warmly recommend that you contact Mr. Attila Szebeni of Intercont-Optika to obtain such lens. Naturally, you need to have the appropriate prescription to order.

Hsal, the company you mention is a wholesale supplier of contact lenses, supplying to opticians, not to the end user. Anybody with KC knows that the fit of the lens is absolutely crucial, so buying lenses on line or by 'mail order' is a recipe for disaster as an ill fitting lens can damage the cornea. Those of us with KC need to get our lenses from an optometrist skilled in fitting lenses for the condition.

Anne, thank you for making the remark. The patient should look for an optician who has a working contact with the wholesale seller. With 52 years of experience of KC and wearing contact lenses, I am well aware of the crucial importance of proper fitting. If there is no prescription for this exact type of lens like Ahmed had, better forget about it.