UK Keratoconus Self-Help and Support Association

Hello everyone hope you had a very merry xmas and new yr. I have had KC for about 4-5 yrs. I now have a problem as i am in the RAF and no doubt within the next year i will be deployed somewhere in the gulf. My KC is beyond glasses and a soft lens hence the reason i have to wear the RGP lens, but being out in the gulf i am constantly going to have to battle againts the elements ie sand and dust. I have had problems with dust getting into my eyes as i work in a hanger and am constantly in agony. I have no back up like most people who can wear glasses. So do i brave the elements and have 4 months of pure and utter hell regarding my eyes or do i look after myself and get medically downgraded and have for the time being a life of bliss? I have spoken to my doctor and he agrees with me that i would be a burden and would not be able to carry out my duties effeciently. Just curious if anyone else has come across problems with the elements?

I used to work in a very dusty environment and it is utter hell and if you combine that with the Gulf I certainly would not like to be in your shoes.

I work in a laboratory with fine powders and I have found some good safety glasses and they can be tinted or clear, they are specially designed for outdoor use in dusty environments. E-mail me on gdbeynon@hotmail.com and I will send you a picture and supplier details so you can try them out.

Good luck

Gareth

Dear Dunc, How about trying scleral lenses? These cover the whole eye and NOTHING gets behind them - they are absolutely great when its very windy and dusty. And to top it all they are extremely comfortable. I wore rgp corneals for 25 years and suffered just like you, with it eventually getting to the point that my eyes would just not tolerate the corneals any more. I was then given sclerals and WOW I wish I had had the chance to try them a lot earlier and maybe have a pair of both to swap around - you then nearly become like everyone else as you can take your corneals out when they are a pain and put in the sclerals.

However, I find that the sclerals are so comfortable that I have not bothered with the corneals for years now. You would need to try them yourself, as the result can be different for everyone. There is info on the KC website about sclerals http://www.keratoconus-group.org.uk or you can email me on sue.ingram@ntlworld.com

Good Luck! SUE

thanks for all your input. Was looking down the avenue of wearing safety goggles, i think i would have to wear them all the time even when off duty. There is one problem though because say in the worse case scenario i would have to get out the gas mask i would have to take the contacts out and then i would see bugger all, its all very complicated i know.
I never knew about the sclerals untill i came across this website, that maybe something to look at. At the moment i am adopting the piggyback system with the soft lens under the rgp which is really comfortable but will question my doctor about the scleral lens.

I think the ones I wear are quite good, collegues I work with are jelous as I can choose mine for medical reasons, they can not.





These are available with clear lenses or mirrored in addition to what I wear above. The safty people at work made a complaint thinking I was working in an area requiering eye protection with only safety glasses. When they realised the situation, complaint retracted with a written apology to me. This was the first I new of the complaint! So I would like to think they would be unobtrusive and I find them not to be as cumbersum as as anyother safety glasses I hace worn.

Working in hangers or anywhere else very dusty, Sclerals or not, I would wear safty glasses. I worked for many years with sand and oil (lucky for me based in the UK) as part of the support to the first Gulf War and the sand blown up one day badly scratched my lenses!!! Hence me being very careful now and the glasses above are designed to be worn outside in dust environments. Cost is only £8 from Fisher Scientific based in Loughborough.

Regards

Gareth