Keratoconus and blood pressure medication

[Janet K]

It seems likely that I will be prescribed medication to control raised blood pressure. I have advanced KC which is relatively well managed by wearing GP lenses and I am able to lead a relatively normal life! I am very worried about side effects of drugs on my continuing ability to tolerate the lenses as my current GP surgery doesn’t appear to understand KC or my real worries. I have emphasised that I musn’t have meds that contribute to dry eyes as I am getting older. I know from my personal experience that eye drops are not a lasting solution for me. Thankfully I don’t usually have a need for lubricating drops. Does anyone else have a similar experience, or have any suggestions?

[Anne Klepacz]

Hello Janet and welcome!
There are different types of medication to control blood pressure, and it seems not all of them contribute to dry eye syndrome. So hopefully your GP will be able to prescribe a suitable one. And I don't know when you last used eye drops, but the range of drops is constantly expanding. Many people find HyloTears or HyloForte effective. And there are other strategies, such as warm compresses on the eye lids. Have a look at our Spring 2011 newsletter https://www.keratoconus-group.org.uk/in ... wsletters/ for a good article on coping with dry eye. I hope some of this helps.

[Janet K]

Thank you for your advice. Thankfully I don’t seem to have particularly dry eyes at present as long as I pay attention to lid hygiene by periodically using warm compresses. I have tried Hycosan Original eye drops as they are preservative free and in a specially designed bottle rather than individual capsules. But have found so far that my eyes tend to be happier with just the warm compresses when needed. I’ll look into the other drops you mention, thank you. However, from recent past experience I’m less confident about persuading the GP surgery to take this issue seriously. The response is usually that they don’t know about the condition of KC and that the optometrist takes care of that side of things.