Lifespan

[space_cadet]

my right transplant was done march 2009 with a heap of rejection episodes, infections, scars, over granulating of sutchers, corneal filiments, hydrops n more besides

so has me thinking if the average transplant lasts aprox 10-20 years, my time with it may soon be called to a halt,

my gut is screaming no futher surgery, so what woul dbe my options?

[RedOnion]

Oh dear, must be a horrible thought. Have you discussed with a specialist? I wonder what advice they might have. I hope you can get a resolution

[space_cadet]

I have, and all I get is "your complicated" um I know that much!

[space_cadet]

my right transplant was done march 2010 with a heap of rejection episodes, infections, scars, over granulating of sutchers, corneal filiments, hydrops n more besides

so has me thinking if the average transplant lasts aprox 10-20 years, my time with it may soon be called to a halt,

my gut is screaming no futher surgery, so what woul dbe my options?

[Anne Klepacz]

As things stand, I don't think there are any other options apart from surgery if a graft starts failing due to age (though who knows what scientists may come up with in the next 10 years when you look at how CXL has transformed things). I can't remember whether you had a full (PK) transplant or a partial (DALK) one. PK transplants tend to fail when the back layer of the cornea (the endothelium) loses too many cells and stops acting as a pump to keep the cornea clear. So these days, rather than replacing the whole graft at that point, there's a procedure to replace just the endothelium.
The graft failure in my left eye was more dramatic than that, in that I lost all vision in that eye overnight, presumably due to a tear (hydrops) in the cornea. So my regraft was a full transplant again. And while after the original graft I still had to wear a contact lens with a high prescription, the regraft gave me vision in that eye that I hadn't experienced since I was a child! As with my original transplants, I had a few rejections episodes, but they were successfully reversed. So although I was nervous before the regraft, the result was great. And the alternative would have been to accept permanent blindness in that eye, which I wasn't ready to do.

[Green]

It's really hard, especially when we have substantial histories.
I've been told my oldest graft done in the 1980s could last my lifetime. I'm not sure how they know that unless we have 100 yr old graft pts!
I've only found out recently that repeated surgery scar tissue can be what can cause a lamellar macula hole which I have.
I've had x2 PK grafts and x1 DMEK in the other eye, with x2 rebubbling, filaments (worst pain ever), ulcer, it was rough.
I'm not typical in having experienced severe post op pain after the first grafts. I wouldn't be keen for repeat surgeries but it doesn't look like there would be much option.
I find lenses very hard too.
Hard empathise from me Space Cadet x