Kerasoft Lenses

[Susan Mason]

On a previous thread Sue Ingram asked:-

Hi Lynn, Do the Kerasoft lenses correct advanced KC? SUE
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Lynn as you have experience with these lenses what is your opinion ?

Susan

[Lynn White]

Well...

I have to say yes as I have fitted VERY advanced KC with them. By that , I mean K readings on the cone that have been down to 4.5 (as much as you can measure it at that level)

The limit prescription wise is that the lenses "only " correct astigmatism up to 11.00 DC (which is quite a lot).

Therefore it would not be true, as some sources say, that soft lenses can only correct mild KC.

Where the Kerasoft wins out is that it is more comfortable than RGP's. Also, rigid lenses often "fall off" an advanced cone, making vision variable or at worst, it just falls out of the eye. The Kerasoft tends to gently reshape the cornea - so you do have to exchange the lens at least once during the settling down period.... (this is included in the price by the way) and because of their larger size, do not move around - therefore vision is more stable.

They also have the new wavefront SAM (spherical aberration management) technology applied which sharpens up the optical quality considerably.

In some cases of using Kerasoft on advanced KC, I would have to admit the vision is sometimes not quite as good as an RGP... but in those cases - the patient couldn't wear the RGP for more than an hour anyway!

I also must say that I have seen many cases where patients have had signficant oedema (swelling) of the cornea and this has cleared a good deal when using the Kerasoft. Soft lenses are often used as "bandage" lenses in cases of corneal irritation and oedema as they help protect the front surface, thus restoring the front layer (epithelium) which then helps towards restoring the proper function of the cornea. This can also be the case in post graft patients.

When I was in Trinidad... if you couldn't fit an RGP, then that was it - there WERE no other options available on the island. As RGP's are VERY uncomfortable in the tropics (either 35C heat or intensive air conditioning) - many people just didn't wear lenses. I introduced the Kerasoft and fitted nothing else (unless the patient could get on fine with their RGP's)- and every case I saw worked. Before that experience, I would have tried other options first like soft perm, piggybacks etc...

Being given no other option made me try every case, no matter how bad, with Kerasoft and they all worked... maybe not perfectly in every case but then no lens really does for everyone with advanced KC.

What impressed me was the wearing time - much longer than RGP's in that climate.

That is my experience... and I have to say this: When I first tried the Kerasoft, I met with no real success because I had not got the "hang" of it. Lens fitting can be a bit of an art and like anyone else... I like to stick with what I know best. "Common sense" told me it shouldn't really work on a KC cornea... right?

But I was intrigued by it and reports that others were fitting it with success...so I buckled down and gave it my full attention... and found that it worked beautifully. This taught me a good lesson - not to write off good ideas just because I "thought" they couldn't work...

Ummmm I hope that answers your question????

Lynn

[Susan Mason]

Thanks Lynn, very interesting.

Susan

[Dave Dale]

Thanks for that Lynn.

Would you reccomend them over Softperms then? I have had them for 2 years now and wear time is slowly becoming less?

Cheers,

Dave.

[Sajeev]

I think the claims are being inflated from taking advice about this subject on this thread...and someones "wares " should not be tried to be sold here...!!

[Sue Ingram]

Thanks, Lynn. As you stated, sometimes if people cannot wear rgps and have no other alternative, then perhaps they are happy with the vision that they get with the Kerasoft in comparison to nothing, but maybe this is not the case when there are other lenses available.

I am just wondering what the vision might be like compared with what I currently get with sclerals - these do not completely correct my vision as I still have to wear glasses for reading/computer/driving etc. Lately, it is seems to becoming more difficult to get this correction with specs.

I understand that you will be at the KC conference in Birmingham and am hoping that you will be talking a bit more about soft lenses for KC then.

See you then. SUE

[Sue Ingram]

Hi Sajeev, I don't feel that anything is being 'sold' to us on this thread. Advice was sought regarding soft lenses for advanced KC (which in the past we have always been told was not possible) from someone who appears to have quite alot of experience of fitting such lenses on people with advanced KC.

I think we all understand that these are opinions being expressed and that with KC we all have to find the best lens solution for us as an individual, but we do need information to help us find out what is available in order that we can make these informed choices and as some people have said, they even have to suggest some of the alternatives to their optometrists who are maybe not aware of them. With KC it often seems to be down to us to help ourselves and therefore any information/ experience is greatly received.

Keep smiling SUE

[Lynn White]

Thank you Sue...

I would point out that I have no personal interest in these lenses at all - as I thought my post made clear. I am not associated with the production or sale of them in any way. I was merely replying to a request as to my experiences.

As to whether soft lenses work "better" or "worse" than say sclerals or softperms or RGP's - its impossible to say. What works wonderfully for one patient may not for another. You have to balance what you have now to what you might achieve with another lens.

For instance, if you wear an RGP fitted rather flat, it will reform the cone. If you decide to change to Kerasoft, then this reshaping has to work its way out meaning it will take some time, maybe weeks before the cornea is reliably settled enough to fit a soft lens. So if you are achieving reasonable wear times with acceptable comfort it is better staying with what you have.

If, however, comfort is a major issue then the adjustment period may well be worth th einconvenience - but that depends on work factors and so ... the equation becomes complicated!

If you are wearing scerals that are a good fit in that they are not impacting on the cornea, then changing to a soft would be quicker.

Also, what you find works right now may not do so next year - or even next month. I have had KC patients wear the same lenses for ten years and others try three types in as many months.

Sue.... what kind of spectacle correction do you have?? I was at first thinking you meant reading prescription but you mention driving as well...???

Also - I did not mean to say that the soft lenses give poor vision - they can actually give acuities of 6/4 - especially in mild to moderate KC. I have seen them give BETTER acuity than RGP's. I just wanted to point out that I am in no way claiming they are a "wonder" lens and some people do not get on with them just as some people do not get with other kinds of lenses!!

Lynn

[Sue Ingram]

Hi Lynn, Not sure exactly what my specs correction is, other than they work on the cylinders. Will find out and let you know. SUE

[Lynn White]

Aha....

I think I understand... You mean that they are correcting astigmatism that the scleral does not correct?

If that is the case, then the Kerasoft DOES correct that - it is what is called a toric lens whereby the astigmatism correction is worked in the lens so its rather like the way spectacles correct the vision. Thats why i said the lens will correct up to 11.00D of astigmatism. "Normal" soft disposabe torics will only correct up to about 2.00 D astigmatism for example.

Anyway, if you can find out what the prescription is I will know for definite!

Lynn