UK Keratoconus Self-Help and Support Association

Well we will have to agree to differ Gareth I think you're ridiculous to believe that motor racing is not risky but that's your perception.
I've never witnessed an eye injury to a dancer in 35 years and you wouldn't have been shoving the bacteria on your degree course into your eyes whereas in a pool you can't avoid it

Sport:
THe way I look at it is: how many times have I ever got an eye infection (or any other infection) from going swimming?
Never.
Why should that change now?
So I decided I'd go swimming if and when I wnted to - but I'd give the eye a year to settle down and heal over.
Mind, I am fairly caareful where I go swimming - I think I'll give the THames off London Bridge a miss. Or the Serpentine, for that matter. THe swimming club in the evenings at the local college pool sounds interesting. I also tend to swim breaststroke with my head sticking up all the time.
Not very good for efficiency of transferring effort into forward motion, but if the idea is to get some exercise and get fit, speed doesn't matter too much. What my chiropractor would say is another matter....!)
As regards riding: anyone who climbs onto a horse has, at the "bottom line" to accept that the next time they fall off could be the last time they'll climb aboard. Particularly when you get to 24-yet-again (!) and have noticed that you don't bounce the way you used to when you were a kid - fall off a horse, jump up, laugh, climb back on again.......
So what do I do? - I always waer my jockey helmet; I (normally!) wear gloves, and put on the high-viz gear on me and the horse if we're going out on the road (or across the fields); I wear big thick glovs when exercising the Little Shits (mini Shetlands, power-to-weight-ratio phenomenal; bloody-minded willfulness even more so!), take my shades, my inhaler my mbile and try to keep a good look out for low branches whipping across my face.
Am I going to give up yet? - no, not yet. BUt if pr wjen I do, it will be from the frustration that sometimes I can ride fine, and at other times, I just get so dizzy and seasick and disoriented I just want to get off and sit down and cry till the wolrd stops spinning. That's the effects of the anaesthetic - on top of the rsults of a neck injury accident a few years ago.
Meanwhile, when I've got the Little Shits reasonably fit, I'm going to learn how to harness them up and drive ponies and carts.
Back to work:
Well, I'm still not, fully. I'm officially a self-employed complementary therapist, but haven't been well enough since the op to be therapeutic. Or fit enough, or felt it very safe if I still might start having hallucinations.
There's a friend in whose small business I temp when she has a rush on - I first went back to work for her - sitting in a warehouse unit sending out mail order catalogues, or customer satisfaction surveys, or whatever it was - 13 days after the op. Very soon found myself feeling faint and dizzy and shakey and couldn't-breathe-ey and friend/boss called an ambulance. After that, she didn't ask me to work for her again for quite a while!
Hospital told me to allow two weeks off work, and 6 weeks efore doing any lifting (like, I could stuff questionaires and mail-marged letters into envelopes, but not carry round full boxes of catalogues, or mailbags full of the outgoing items.
Really, the greatest influence on how soon you can go back depends on what sort of anaesthetic you're having, and how well you get over that. It's no good going back to work 3 days post-op if you're still feeling woozy after a general; shouldn't be a problem if the op's under local - so long as you're not lifting.
Note that some peple get very light-sensitive for a while, so dark glasses, or finding how to change the screen colour scheme, may be required to work with a comuter.
Rosemary

I have had a corneal raft and a couple of months ago an ICL implant.I regularly go mountain biking,road cycling and swim.As long as you take the normal precautions,like goggles for swimming and I wear clear glasses for cycling to keep debris out,you`ll be fine.

Hi Pete,

Great to hear that... the swimming and cycling are the things I afraid to loose the most.
where you able to get back to your previous shape (before the operations), or you had to reduce the training intense?

Shahar

Take a look at this thread

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=4888

You may find some encouragement there.

Andrew

Hi Shahar

I had a graft 4 months ago and I am running between 5-10km every other day fine now. I also cycle everyday and do handweights but have been told to limit any weight to 5kg. I can do yoga but no headstands and no swimming for time being. One thing I have found that if you listen to your body it tells you when you are doing too much. I find that if my workout has been too strenuous my eye has a dull ache and I take it easier next time.

Hope this helps

Lucy

I guess everyone is different and so is the advice we get from the consultants. I went straight back to swimming but I love swimming so although I would have given it up if told too, it was important to me to get back in the pool. I am now 18 months post graft and there are no restrictions on my graft. My consultant has given me the go-ahead to go back to diving which I do professionally to 60 metres. I told the consultant I could not guarantee keeping the eye dry, he said 'no problem'. This is for a DALK.I decided not to go back to Rugby, Judo or Ju-Jitsu which I practised pre-graft. Partly because I was struggling to do all these things anyway and needed to re-prioritse and partly because I thought a thumb in the eye could happen even unintentionally. I think it is a risk-management decision, I would hate to go without cycling so I wear goggles on the bike, I figure glasses are good enough for running. With prescription goggles I can swim. I am doing the most important things for me and I canned the riskier (and for me) less important things.

Guys, you helped me a lot
So no need to abandon my 3rd Ironman plans after all... and the cycling tour in Europe... and the Rollerblades... maybe just delaying everything a bit.
I hope my graft will be smooth and healing will go well. As Lucy said, I will listen to my body, and as an endurance athlete i usually do this well, and try to do wise risk management.

big thanks!
Shahar

Hi Shahar

I had a graft last october and have been back on my rollerblades and cycling since April. I have started some street roller hockey again, but always wear sunglasses as protection.
I have decided to leave my 'more chance of injury sports' - the kitesurfing and competitive roller hockey until later on when i feel a bit less vunerable. I'm not sure about swimming, only that i am not allowed to swim in a swimming pool, but the sea is fine.
I have gained a little weight as a result of not being able to do anything for a few months but it is beginning to get back to normal and i agree with Lucy, your body does let you know when you have been doing too much......

good luck with the graft.

Tom

for what it is worth:
i went snow skiing 8 weeks after my transplant- wearing goggles or sunglasses incase i fell
i only went scuba diving after all the stitches were out, and have recently started sailing (keelboat racing) and have been on 2 ocean races under fairly extreme conditions- all with the blessing of my doctor and without any problems. i have more trouble from my other eye with its piggyback lenses,,, and honestly dont think i would be sailing if i hadn't had my cornea transplant...
i swim in the sea and swimming pools often, but don't open my eyes.

to answer your other question regarding back to work- i think it varies, but i was only comfortable back at work after 2 weeks- although i think the recovery from the anaesthetic is harder than the eye.

good luck