Panicking! 7 days after transplant need advice please

[casatronic]

uly)Although I am a very old hand with KC I had a graft last Monday on my RIGHT eye (I had one on the LEFT eye a few years ago but cant remember anything).

I have been told that I also have a a catarract in the RIGHT eye but it wont be removed for another 12 to 18 months. My biggest worry at moment is the constant haze I have in this eye since the op - It has not improved. I am on Prednisolene, Dexamethesone and Chloranphenical but have looked at the net and cant see anything about blurring. I feel that this did not happen with my LEFT eye and am worried that the cattaract is causing this problem, although it did not before the op. Is there anyone who could help me. Many thanks

Casatronic

[rosemary johnson]

Hi, and welcome to the KC forums!
Prednisalone *and* dexamethasone? ..... er, wow.
When you say blurring, do you mean the world looks a bit white and milky, like you're looking out of a window that's steaming up?
I suppose it might be that cataract....... or it might not.
Please, go back to the hospital (where the graft was done), say you're worried and get them to have a good look at it, and tell you what the problem is.
Or, as the case may be, do something about it?
Do you have a follow-up appointment a week post-graft? If not, go to Eye A&E. For someone who'd just had a graft and is worried something;s wrong, they'd rather you came in on a false alarm than didn't and chanced it.
GOod luck! - hope it's nothing serious.
Rosemary

[John Smith]

Hi Casatronic,

I'd totally back up Rosemary's suggestions. To be honest, I doubt it's a problem, and if you're on Pred AND Dexamethasone you are unlikely to reject; but if you are at all concerned (and you must be to post here!) then you should get to see your consultant as soon as possible.

The faster you see them, the sooner you'll either be reassured or they can do something about it.

Hope you are reassured soon. Do let us know how you get on.

[casatronic]

Thanks for your replies. I went to hospital 1 week post op. They say the epithelium (surface) on the eye has only partially healed and inserted a bandage" lens. This is very hot and uncomfortable and as yet (5 days after insertion) eye still hazy. Have to go again next Tuesday 22nd. Will let you know.

[rosemary johnson]

Good luck on Tuesday! - hope the bandage lens is doing its job.
Do let us know how it goes, won't you?
Rosemary

[casatronic]

Hi

Went again to hospital today and the cornea has not grown since last week. They have now sewed the bottom and top eyelids together about 1/2 inch away from the nose on my right eye. This is to encourage my tears to stay in my eye as this will encourage the epithelium to grow ( I hope). I have to insert dry eye drops in every half hour. I look as if I have been in a boxing ring, eyelids swollen and bruised. I was very upset after the procedure as it seemed a barbaric and brutal way to heal my eye and at the moment I feel a bit mutilated. However, I am a bit more used to it tonight. It wil be 3 weeks until they take out the sutures but I have to go every week for them to check. God know how they will see the cornea through the gap in my eyelids - they say they can do it.

I just hope this works - they say there is a procedure whereby they can place a membrane over the cornea made up of stem cells which again encourages growth but I hope it will not come to that. What with the steroids side effects I had in the first week, then the dreadful bandage lens which hurt like hell and now the eyelids it is all a bit much.

As I said before I have had a total of 4 corneal transplants over 30 years but this is the worse.

I will keep positive though as long as the sun shines outside.!

Casatronic

[rosemary johnson]

Oh crumbs! That does sound horrible.
Hang in there, and hope things improve soon.
Rosemary

[Val G]

Poor you. I hope this all works out OK. Keep us posted

[melissa]

Shame- thats sounds like a terrible ordeal.
My graft took 9 days to start to clear- and about 25 days before it was totally clear. Apparently it was because the donor cornea had been in solution for longer than usual- yours sounds like a different issue though
Good luck

[Andrew MacLean]

Ouch!

I guess that they have told you that it is not uncommon for people to develop cataracts after corneal grafts. when I was diagnosed with mine, I did some google searches and found out that these can be provoked by steroids. Looking through the milky haze is a bit of a pain, but when the cataract is ready for surgery (in my experience at least) things clear up very well indeed.

I found that my sight was better in the half-light of evening than in the glaring light of midday!

I am sorry that you are having such a struggle. You are sure to feel that you have been violated, and in fact so you have. Your eye has suffered a severe insult, and this is only sensible if you take into account the potential for recovered sight. It does take time, so hang in there.

All the best

Andrew