Post - Graft

[Tom Gardner]

After you have had a corneal graft, what is the vision like?

1) Does it have to be corrected again?
2) Does KC start all over again in that eye?

Furthermore, another thing that has interested me is that various sources say that roughly 10-20% of people who have KC have to have a graft? It seems like a lot more people have had the graft compared to that statistic

Interesting. . .
Any help and info on this subject would be helpful to me!

Thanks Tom

[Sweet]

(((Tom)))

Sorry i dont know a lot about grafts after not having had one done. Are you thinking of having one or just readubg up on it?

Take care,

Claire X x X

[Tom Gardner]

lol - I think you mite have got the wrong end of the stick-probably due to my poor explaination. I haven't had a graft, I was just interested about the outcomes/statistics etc - sorry if im rubbish at explaining

Tom

[Sweet]

LOL i realised after i wrote it and had to go and edit!! LOL!!!! Well i guess my excuse is i cant see the names properly lmao! Well, that worked for me!

Sweet!!

[GarethB]

Tom,

The statistics are compiled by the specialist hospitals. From this site and the support group members, it would appear the stats are wrong, but that is mainly because people come to this site because they have further KC problems. So not only do grafts appear more common, but so does the use of sclerals, RGP's etc.

As to waht the vision is like, depens largly on what you expect. Medically it is a succes if the graft heals and there is no rejection. In the really good cases it is possible to go with no sight correction. By far the majority still require glasses, some contact lenses of one sort or another and in a small percentage the assistance is more specialised.

There are many variables such as quality of donor material, quality of recipient cornea, how well you heal, are there rejection issues, eye infections post op, the list is very long.

As to weather KC comes back, the chances are so remote, especially with advances in corneal topography mapping I have yet to meet or hear of another person. There is more chance of stepping in rocking horse poo or being bitten by a rabid chiccken with a beak full of hens teeth!

The donor material is screened for KC symptoms. The only chance of KC re-occuring is if the cornea the graft is attached to develops KC again and distorts the grafted cornea it is attached to. This is what happend to me, however corneal topography had yet to be invented.

So the short answer is;

1) Possibly.
2) Not worth worrying about.

Gareth

[jayuk]

Hello mate

Gareth Hit the nail on the head....

Stats are very vague for CT for KC patients..some say 10% others upto 30%....

But as pointed out, results are in the eye of the beholder lol...........A Opthamologist will deem a CT a success if it attaches, is clear and does not reject.............but a KC patient will deem it a success; in a number of cases, if they cant wear glasses!

Ive heard of so many cases of CT now that the results are so varied and it realy depends on

1) Donor Cornea
2) Scale of KC
3) Skill of surgeon
4) rejection
5) post op medication
etc!

[Susan Mason]

Tom

I have just been offered a DLK graft on my right eye.
DLK - I understand means Deep Lamellar Keratoplasty and I understand it is where they scrape/cut away the top layer of the cornea leaving your own corneal tissue intact underneath. That is providing that it does not puncture during the procedure which I was told could be a 50/50 change and if it did a full graft would be completed.

As for the vision once the graft is completed and does KC start again, well I think the answer to this is they don't really know.

I was advised that they would hope for good vision without correction however, in some cases glasses or contact lenses are still need to attain good vision. I also read somewhere that in some cases the corneal transplant could just provide a more uniform and regular surface for the opticians to fit a contact lens on rather than correct the vision completely.

For me I have said no, just for the present time anyway.

I am not against transplant and when the time is right for me who knows.

I am however very aware that once I have had it done that is it, it is after all major surgery and maybe if I can muddle along for a few more years new developments may be out there.
I also want to be able to see in later life and for now I can manage so while I can I do however, I do get frustrated quite a bit as most of us do.

Susan

[John Smith]

Hi Tom,

From my own experience, it seems likely that one would need "some" correction following a graft; but that could be glasses or soft contacts.

Unfortunately, there is a very small possibility of the KC returning - the donor cornea may possibly have latent KC (rare - that's the sort of thing I think they can screen for), or because part of your original cornea remains post-op (they need something to stitch to!), the "base of the mountain" can continue to grow; which causes astygmatism.

I understand that is is the small minority of patients who achieve 6:6 (20:20) vision post-graft with no additional optical assistance.

[GarethB]

Well John, your final paragraph ocured to me first and 12 months ago the penultimate one!

The specialist said in all the cases of treating KC, he could still count on one hand the number of times he had seen a re-occurance. That is the cornea the graft is attached to going KC again.