UK Keratoconus Self-Help and Support Association

Ok I'll be using contact lenses soon but I'm worried by the fact that I cant only have them in just 8 hours a day which isn't a lot! At the moment my vision is fine with glasses but as the KC progresses it might get to the point where I have to wear contacts all the time to see properly! But the ones I will be wearing are the gas permeable ones and apparently you cant wear them for more than 8 hours a day? What am I gonna do for the other 8 hours of the day? I'm worried as I wake up early at about 8pm for my job and then come back at 5pm but I still would want to wear contacts even after work

Hey there again! LOL I just replied to your other reply!!

8 hours is what optoms tell us as they know that they can't really suggest more than that as they don't want you to do damage to your eye by overwear. Most people wear them a lot more than that, I wear mine about 16 hours a day and I work for 12 hours. It takes time to build up and you really need to take it on how your eyes are feeling.

Some days you will find that you can't wear a lens at all, but it is ok as tomorrow try again and see what happens. I always have a day off from lenses a week just to give my eyes a rest which is always a good thing

Wear them for six hours, take them out for an hour and put them back in for some more time! I managed to extend my daily wear time by quite a bit doing this.

Andrew

Thanks for your advice guys....still dreading the whole testing lenses procedure I'm gonna have to go through once I get them (the pain, irritation, getting used to them etc) Went last week to consulation and put lenses in for the first time and it was hell having them in my eyes and that was just for 20 minutes or so!, tears, hurt when i blinked or moved my eyeballs etc. I find it hard to believe I could get used to them but hopefully I will!

Initial wear time is advised to build upto 8 hours. Then once they are happy the wear time can be built further to 12 hours.

This is not possible for everyone because the cornea is damaged which is why we have KC and with contact lenses it will touch the eye at some point. Only Sclerals have the ability to avoid putting pressure on the cornea.

It is very easy to build up lens wear and get used to seeing out of just one eye. I had to do this while building my lens wear. Your emplyers are obliged to make reasonable adjsutments, so if you need a large screen monitor and such like for periods when you can not wear your lenses all day.

A vast majority of people cope fine with lenses but we all have our off days which makes lens wear difficult.

hi joe
i completely concur with what the others have already said.
dont worry about the comfort level of rgps as it depends on a lot of things, how good the fit is, the level of KC in the eye ie the steepness of the cone, whether your tired or not.
i'm lucky in that i find my right lens extremeley comfortable and can happily get 16 hrs a day out of it (i cant wear a lens in my left any more though, but that is because the KC is so advanced)
staggering your wear as andrew suggests is an excellent idea, as is taking a day off now and then.
if i feel that i need to rest then i strike a compromise with myself and listen to my fave music of an evening and chill if i cant watch tv or do other stuff

most of all just go by how your eyes feel without forcing wear time and dont panic . you might take to them like a duck to water

mike

Hi, You will be fine, I wear piggy backs and wear them from 7am till 10pm at earliest every day and do not experience any problems. Its not that easy getting a good pair though! I have tried hundreds of lenses before I found some that suited me, spent hours in the hospital waiting rooms, lenses in, eyes streaming! Nearly gave up and went on waiting list for transplant, but now I have lenses I'm happy with its worth all that pain and hassle for being able to see to a decent standard.
Don't want to scare you but just want you to know there is light at the end of the tunnel!!Good luck, Emma.