a Question

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Andrew MacLean
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Re: a Question

Postby Andrew MacLean » Sat 06 Oct 2007 1:25 pm

When the sutures come out of my left eye I'll have a lens in that eye and specs for my other.

Andrew
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Anne B
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Re: a Question

Postby Anne B » Sat 06 Oct 2007 3:57 pm

Do you not think you are having to have correction for your eyesight because you have had corneal transplants and you had those transplants because you HAD KC.
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Andrew MacLean
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Re: a Question

Postby Andrew MacLean » Sat 06 Oct 2007 4:15 pm

I have never heard any surgeon talking about a graft as a cure for keratoconus. they talk about this as a way of managing the condition (as, by the way are lenses, INTACS and C3R etc).

I have had grafts in each eye, and I know that I HAVE keratoconus.

Andrew
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GarethB
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Re: a Question

Postby GarethB » Sat 06 Oct 2007 9:21 pm

Yes I had grafts because the cornea that could be seen to be deseased was removed.

Left eye has correction due to the graft and because of the defeciencies in the eye non-kc related. Until about 6 yeasr ago the left eye did not really require correction in that I could legally drive with one eye with no vision correction.

About four years post graft the right eye went many years without vision correction and then gradually deteriorated until it got to the point it could be seen to be keratoconic.

So to a great extent the vision correction has not been due to the fact I had grafts. Pre and post graft the right eye has always been changing so extremely hard for me to say the correction needed was due to either KC or the graft.

Four years post tgraft I was told all I needed to do was have regular eye chacks at my local optometrist. It was not until he suspected KC that I came back into the hospital system, by which time the grafts were about 17 years old.

Things have changed now in that once we are post graft we get check-ups every 6 - 12 months. When I was seen by a highstreet optom it was every two years unless I noticed a real change i vision.

My personal view is that garfts are purely a long term management system for KC which can last over 30 years. KC can still come back but due to advances in the medical equipment used to moniter KC progression the chances of re-occurance are much reduced from slim to very slim.

To be honest I don't think there is a right or wrong answer at the moment to are grafts a cure or not except to say we just do not know for sure.
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piper
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Re: a Question

Postby piper » Sun 07 Oct 2007 2:16 am

So, it's sort of like having a flat tire on your auto repaired. You once had a flat tire, but now you don't......however, that won't keep you from telling the story of the flat and the missing jack and the repair-garage and the out-of-pocket costs around the office or over lunch with your friends.....we ex-KC patients are much like that. heh heh heh

cheers, Piper

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Anne B
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Re: a Question

Postby Anne B » Sun 07 Oct 2007 6:40 pm

Hi all , sorry back again!

One more question thats if i don't think of any more when trying to sleep tonight!!!!

There are other reasons why poeple have corneal grafts its not just for KC. So if i went to a opticians who didn't know any of my KC history and they looked at my grafted eye.,Could they tell that before the graft i had KC?
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Andrew MacLean
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Re: a Question

Postby Andrew MacLean » Mon 08 Oct 2007 6:20 am

I am not sure that an optician could, but an ophthalmologist might. There is a brownish pigment that forms a ring tht is visible in the eye of people with KC. I think this is called the Fleischer Ring. This seems to be caused by a build up of iron deposited in the cells around the cornea.

http://opt.pacificu.edu/ce/catalog/web013/course.htm

Andrew
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