UK Keratoconus Self-Help and Support Association

Anyone out there using piggy-back lenses (not soft-perm)?

It got to the point where Gas Permeable lenses alone were seriously upsetting the scarring on the front of the cornea (very sore) so I have been asked to put in a Focus Night and Day lens first and then put the GPs on-top - result is:

+ Much better comfort
+ The Focus night and day lets loads of oxygen through
- Four lenses to clean at night
- Slightly increased risk of infection

They call this a bandage lens and generally it is only worn for short term fixes but it been liberating for me.

Hello Four Eyes

I am currently using Biomedics soft contact lens as a piggy back on one eye. I am interested to note that you have been told this may not be permanent. It is certainly very helpful for me. I don't need to clean it as it is disposable. It certainly does act as a bandage.

Hi Four Lenses

I have been using Piggy Backing for nearly two years now, from never being able to tolerate RGP's for more than four hours and soft perms for 8 on a very good day, I now have near perfect vision from 7:30 till 23;00 everyday. I too use the Night and Days which leads to the only draw back namely having to clean four lenses, having said that it is a very small price to pay - always gets odd looks when we are camping and I line up all my bottles of cleaners and soakers etc! Getting the fitting right was tricky as I had a lot of changes at the begining - you therefore need to find a very patient fitter to do it. I was attending evry week to start with so time is also important.

For the last 2 months I have been using Viscotears Liquid Gel (Carbomer) after I take my lenses out this has increased my comfort to such an extent that most days I forget that they are in.

David

I have also been using this method for about 4 years. It worked great until last year and now I am back to square one. I have just had an appointment come through to see Ken Pullman at Moorfields to see (no pun intended) about sclerals. My brother wore these about 15 years ago and I have been dreading being told that I need them as well. However, I know a lot of you out there use them and have good results, so I am going to give them a go.

With regards to the piggybacking through, good luck it certainly helped me through a bad patch and caused my daughter much hilarity when she could tell people that mummy has six eyes not four!

I tried this for a couple of days but found my eyes were so dry generally that they tolerated soft lens even worse than hard.

My eyes got very dry, sore and bloodshot and I gave up. Maybe I should have persevered.

How have any of you found they work when combined with very dry eyes?

Regards,

Philip.