UK Keratoconus Self-Help and Support Association

I have been diagnosed with KC for 3.5 years now and its getting worse at an alarming rate. I had INTACs inserted in my right eye mid August.

Today I had a 2nd follow up appt following an appt at the refractions clinic as had one 3 weeks after the op. A few days beforehand, my eye started to feel gritty, itchy and sore. It was the stitch. The consultant removed the stitch and was very disappointed that my vision in my right eye was worsened!

He told me the options now are either contact lenses - which I did try, but could only could cope with them for 10 mins before I had to take the lens out or a full blown corneal transplant.

I have some antibiotic eye drops to take for a week and go back this Thursday.

Has anyone heard of eyesight worsening after INTACs?

helen

What a crushing disappointment. The straightforward answer to your question is that I have never really heard of anyone having worse sight after intacs than before, but I can think of no reason why it should not happen. I am just sorry that it seems to have happened to you.

What are you going to do? Remember that contact lenses come in all sorts of variety; rgp, hybrid, piggy-back, scleral, soft lenses ... ... ...

And then, do not dismiss out of hand the possible benefits of a transplant.

Every good wish.

Andrew

Hello Helen,
Sorry to hear about your INTAC failure. I also had an INTAC failure. I had a single INTAC inserted into the superior of my right cornea a couple of years ago. My vision didn't improve even though it altered the profile of my cornea. The main problem was with my night vision with me experiencing multiple concentric circular halos around all sources of light. These were so severe I began to experience a degree of double-vision.
My consultant decided to remove it and I've now just had a corneal graft. He said out of the
?12 people he'd fitted INTACs using this method I think 7 had failed and had had to be removed. I think he was thinking of discontinuing the procedure because of the failure rate. He said he was going to write a research paper on INTAC failures.
After this I was alos sent back to the contact lens clinic but every single type of contact lens was tried but all failed.

Hi Helen

INTACs can fail but I would say the failure rate quoted by David M's consultant is somewhat high.

Before you consider grafting - which should always be the last resort - there are many contact lens types that can be tried as well as many combinations of surgeries, including Cross Linking which may be the answer, if you are progressing rapidly. Many of these surgeries are not freely available on the NHS yet, so you may want to look at the private sector. Alternatively, you always have the option of asking to be referred to other NHS hospitals.

Although grafting is usually very successful, it can take well over a year for the cornea to settle and often afterwards you still need to wear contact lenses, so this is why I am saying it should be a last option.

Lynn

Hi Helen,

Sorry to hear about that, but I thought I should ask if you had Collagen Crosslinking BEFORE the intacs were inserted? Because that's what some surgeons tend to recommend - the Crosslinking stops progression of KC, and the intacs alter the profile of the cornea to improve vision.

Amarpreet