Intacts ????????

[georgew]

I'am 13 i have keratoconus , and i don't know whether to have intacts or not ?
Couse you please advice me ? ?

[Andrew MacLean]

georgew

Welcome to the forum. I have moved your topic from 'announcements' to the general discussion forum because I think you are more likely to get responses in this part of the site.

You say that you are considering intacs. Has your ophthalmologist suggested intacs to you?

It was once said that intacs were a 'low impact' treatment because they had the potential to remove the need for people to wear contact lenses and that they were entirely reversible if things did not work out. I am not sure whether this view is still widely held, but there is no doubt that some people who have intacs fitted have found their lives transformed by the improvement they have brought.

The problem we all have about giving advice is that none of us is looking at your eyes; your ophthalmologist does see your corneas through the slit lamp, and has a very good idea about the stage and state of your keratoconus. Next time you go to see your ophthalmologist, if the question of intacs arises again, ask lots of questions.

Ask whether you may still need to wear contact lenses, even with intacs fitted.
Ask how long it might be before further surgical interventions are required.
Ask how easy it would be to reverse the fitting (take the intacs out)

Ask any questions that concern you.

All the best

Andrew

[Sophie]

Hello George,

I just wanted to send some reassuring words! Perhaps my above post ins't helpful to you right now, but everyone has different experiences.

I have found that the intac didn't give me any benefits and I have problems becuase my ouils get very large (apparently adnorammly so!) which means I get quite a lot of reflected light from the ring - maybe chat to your doctor about it.

Other people have had great success with intacs and on the plus side they are removable and the operation isn't bad, I had mine under local anesthetic and walked home after having it done (not by myself of course! but iwth a friend). sore for a few days, but not bad. If you do have it done Im sure your doctor will chat about having it under general or local anesthetic. Although the recovery time was much quicker under local I also think if I had to choose again I might choose general. But again - different people have different experiences and it really wan't too bad and I've not had any problems with it just being there in my eye - no need to return to the docs and have anything done to it etc.

Ask them lots of questions - your eye so you get to ask as many as you like! ask them about success rates and what happens if it goes well and if it doesn't.

Good luck with it all and keep asking questions on the forum too...

[georgew]

My opthamology consultnat did advice me to have intacts , iam going for another apointment in about 5 months , he also said somthing about cross linking ?

[Andrew MacLean]

Hello again George.

Your ophthalmologist does not seem to be in any hurry to move forward with your treatment, and this is probably a good thing as it gives you an opportunity to think about your options.

You don't tell us where you are; perhaps you are not in the UK? I guess if your consultant is proposing CXL on a very young patient you may not be in the UK as CXL is far from routine here and I am not sure that I have heard of any UK clinic offering CXL to a patient as young as 13!

All the best

Andrew

[Lynn White]

Hi GeorgeW

I am afraid in the UK, any discussions of whether or not to have INTACS, CXL (cross linking) etc would need involvement of your parents.

No-one here can possibly give you any answers to your questions without a great deal more information, however, if you read the forums you may well find valuable information.

If you tell us more, we are more likely be able to help you.

Lynn