Falling below the driving standard

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John W
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Postby John W » Tue 07 Nov 2006 5:42 pm

Ok Im a bit worried

Im new to it, well new to these forums, but not to KC.

Im petrified of falling below the driving standard, so a question i really wanna know the answer to.

Has anyone fallen below the standard....had a graft or major treatment (not lenses) and come back within driving standard or.... is it once your past the legal limit, not even a graft is gunna mean you can drive again

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John Smith
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Postby John Smith » Tue 07 Nov 2006 6:39 pm

Hello John,

Let me allay your concerns. I frequently fall below the driving standard, and then recover my vision. Actually, needing vision to drive (perhaps it's your job) is one of the deciding factors when a graft is offered.

Certainly, before my first graft there was no way I could drive - I'd voluntarily given up driving a couple of months pre-op. Once the graft had stabilised - about 9-12 months post-op, I was driving again.

Then various rejection episodes affected my vision (often for the worse, but occasionally for the better).

I'm currently in the postition of not being able to drive for the first few hours of the day, and not in darkness; so I need to plan any driving I need to do carefully.

I hope that once my other eye has recovered from it's graft that I'll be back driving again full-time.
John

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GarethB
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Postby GarethB » Tue 07 Nov 2006 6:42 pm

John,

When I was first diagnosed it was not long after my driving test at which time I easily made the driving standard. Eye sight rapidly went down hill could not even see the eye chart. Had the grafts and within 12 months of the first graft back to driving.

2004 sight rapidly changed failed the driving standard, got fitted with lenses easily make the driving standard.

I think most people post graft achieve the driving standard, they probably need glasses or lenses post graft to do this but we keep on truckin :D
Gareth

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John W
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Postby John W » Tue 07 Nov 2006 6:59 pm

Thaks guys both your comments are one heck of a relief.

I know I am a long way off of the possibility of falling below (Im still on soft lenses) but the thought of it....especially being a environmental field officer means driving is practically essential. Its a jobe related to my degree and masters and is something I would absolutely hate to give up.

Ill defo be sticking round these forums, all the advice i can give and more certainly the advice that has been given is uncomprhendably reassuring

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GarethB
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Postby GarethB » Tue 07 Nov 2006 7:08 pm

John,

My degree is in Environmental Microbiology and six weeks post second graft, legally driving with the first grafted eye was all over the place working for a department that is now part of the Environment Agency down sewers, up chimneys, all over contaminated land that needed remediation work prior to any redevelopment and KC never stopped me one bit.

It was an old back injury that put pay to continuing my career in the environment!

Now my work in the chemical industry is going more safety now :D
Gareth

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Postby John W » Tue 07 Nov 2006 8:13 pm

Im working for the Environment Agency and am more than chuffed to see that a graft has helped you go back to driving. I dont get too involved with the contaminated land side....too many hydrocarbons ha ha. i am surprised how quickly you got back behind the wheel after your grafts, I think what you meant was you had your first graft...then six weeks afer your second graft on your other eye, you could legally drive with the one you had done. Im determined not to let this get in the way of life. But realise any treatment...as opposed to just wearing lenses...can take its time

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GarethB
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Postby GarethB » Tue 07 Nov 2006 8:40 pm

Yup, first garft I was driving within six months. Second graft was done just before my placement so the gap between final exam and being able to start my placement was three weeks, then three weeks induction training tied in nicely with my first assisgnment in the newly formed vehicle emmisions lab.

My surgeon checked my periferal vision and I was given the all clear to drive achieving the legal limit in one eye only which is still permissable today.

So you can fail with one eye, but as long as the remaining one passes you will still be OK to drive.

This is what I had to do in 2004 when KC returned to my right eye which is now sorted with a lens.
Gareth

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Postby GarethB » Tue 07 Nov 2006 10:05 pm

One thing we have neglected to say is the 90% of people with KC never need a graft and cope fine with contact lenses of one sort or another.
Gareth

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sucre
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Postby sucre » Wed 08 Nov 2006 7:45 am

What a great forum!
Although I haven't yet been diagnosed with KC my greatest worry at the moment is to continue or not driving.Having read one of the above coments I feel so much happier as it mentions that it is ok to continue to drive if vision is good in one eye.I do see well in one eye but as my vision is just a blur in other eye I have been feeling guilty about taking car out.Though I do realise that I can't drive at night due to terrible blur of lights.

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Postby Barney » Wed 08 Nov 2006 5:07 pm

John W wrote:Has anyone fallen below the standard....had a graft or major treatment (not lenses) and come back within driving standard or.... is it once your past the legal limit, not even a graft is gunna mean you can drive again

John, my sight was too bad for safe driving even though I was told that according to the eyechart I was OK. Illustrates how inadequate the standard eye test is and a bit scary that people with eyesight as bad as mine was are on the roads.

I had a graft 10 years ago and have been able to read the bottom line of the chart ever since. I'm sure there must be a lot of people with similar outcomes but on forums like these there will always be a large number of people with problems and may not be wholly representative. Just like when you go to a car forum there's always someone there with the same car you've just bought whose engine has just blown up. :)


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