UK Keratoconus Self-Help and Support Association

Hey,

Been wearing my hard contact lens in my right eye only for around a year and a half without much trouble. However, over the last week I have noticed that it has started to irritate me to the point where I have to take it out. When I have taken it out my right eye is watery for a while and stings for a long time.

Any ideas of what may have changed? My next visit at Moorfields is not until April so any suggestions of what I may do maybe to be seen earlier?

Thanks in advance.

be seen earlier ASAP really . always best to nip these things in the bud

Yes, phone the clinic and explain your experience. Ask for an emergency appointment. If that is not available the same day, why not go into casualty at Moorfields?

Andrew

Thanks for your advice.

Going to leave for Moorfields soon.

Just returned from Moorfields. Was there for over 4 and half hours before being seen. Well the Dr gave me some drops (Hycosan) and said that I need to try a Scleral lens so will bring my appointment forward.

Got to see what happens now...

So, dry eye? That's a shame; but a scleral will probably be a great deal more comfortable to wear than the rgp corneals you have had up to now.

All the best

Andrew

I have dry eyes and in part it was due to the contact lens solution I was using. I couldn't find one that didn't cause a problem but I found rinsing the storage/wetting solution off with saline helped before I discoverd Systane by Alcon and that helped loads. Did take about 3 months to get the full effect which was enghhanced when I changed my diet slightly. Cut out caffeine drinks and ciut down the chocolate, gave up squiash and fizzy drinks and replaced with water, milk and fresh fruit drinks. I also take more regular breaks when using a computer at work rather than one big break. Overall this upped my lens wear from about 4 hours to eight when I was on RGP lenses.

Since going over to te Kerasoft K3 lens and now the Kerasoft IC lens I have practically no dry eye problems at all. Still need to rinse the lens solution off with saline, but only put a drop of Systane in the lens when I first put the lens in and last thing at night when I take my lenses out. I now wear lenses all my waking hours, have fewer hospital appointments and it has now ben 18 months since my last visit to eye casualty due to dry eyes flaring up.

So there are several ways to overcoming the problem of dry eye.

i second systane its great

I use Clinitas products. They suit me. Some people like carbomber based products. I'm afraid that like everything else in KC it is a matter of trying things until we find the one that suits us.

The last few months have been the worst ever for me.

When I first starting having problems at the end of January I decided to go to Moorfields A&E and wasn't seen by my usual clinic but the dr said that I needed a Scleral lens and said that he would bring my appointment forward. I waited a week but no appointment through the post so I decided to call Moorfields Clinic 4 where I am normally seen. They were shocked that someone told me that my appointment would be moved forward because that could only be done by someone from my clinic. So I asked them what I could do and they said come back to A&E.

This time I begged the dr's to send me to clinic 4 which they eventually did and the dr seeing me said that I do not need a scleral lens and just smoothed my current lens and told me to go home. It did feel better but over the last few weeks have been experiencing more problems.

I'm really starting to think that maybe my eye has just had enough of the hard lens because according to them it was a good fit.

I have missed so much work over the last 2 months that my headteacher (I'm a teacher in a secondary school) spoke to me regarding my illness and suggested maybe teaching wasn't a good job for me anymore.

I am really worried and stressed by everything at the moment and do not know what to do. I am really starting to loose faith with Moorfields and life in general.

Can anyone help?