UK Keratoconus Self-Help and Support Association

Hi all,

Just wanted to post my experience with the Toric ICL implantation as I notice there are not many posts on this topic at all and honestly it has changed my life (though it was only done 3 days ago so I realise it is only early days!) ! I have had KC for 10 years and have been lucky enough to get by with glasses and see well enough for driving and daily life (as I was totally intolerable to the rgp lenses when I tried them on MANY times!) I had CXL on my right eye (the worse eye) approx 2 years ago, and on my left eye in Feb 2010 - which appears to have stabilized the condition. I was going to have the PRK and CXL combo done on my left eye in Feb but for financial reasons I couldn't and decided I had to at least do the CXL to stop my visually strong eye getting worse as the KC was slowly progressing.

After looking at various options and debating what to do I decided to go with the Toric ICL. So I went ahead with my strong eye (left) as I wanted to get it to 20/20 as my right eye is visually useless really and then I will look at trying to improve the right eye as much as possible (though I have been warned I will probably not get it to the standard of my left eye.) The Toric ICL procedure was fine - no pain during or after, just a little pressure here and there while adjustments were being made. I returned the next day to have my vision, retina and ocular pressure etc. checked and was told my vision was now 20/10, which is better than we were aiming for and better than I had ever got in my glasses, and everything seemed to be OK with my eye. So fingers crossed everything continues to be positive so that I can go ahead and have the right eye done to bring my eyes more in line as I now have a huge disparity between the two!

Dubai Gal

Thank you for a wonderfully positive post. As you say, if things keep going the way they are the future is bright.

Every good wish.

Andrew

That is really great news Dubai Girl. Congratulations.

It gives me hope as I was looking at getting the Toric ICL in my "good" eye.

At the Scottish support group meeting yesterday we had an opthalmologist from Edinburgh. He was tellng us about toric IOLs and also piggyback ones.Piggyback ones seem to be used if one IOL is not enough to correct your prescription. I'd never heard of the piggyback ones until yesterday. He also mentioned Keraflex which is still at the research/developmental stages. It is a crosslinking type procedure (describing it vaguely) but seems more invasive.

sounds good glad to here going well. would you not try and get your bad eye done,i have KC bad in left eye,,,not as bad in the right eye i was thinking of getting my worst eye done????
how much did it cost do you mind if i ask

Yes I am in te process of getting my right eye (worse eye) done, but since I am totally visually reliant on my left eye (my right does nothing but gives me massive smears of brake lights at night) I decided to get the left eye done first, so I am functional without other visual aids and then work to see what I can do to improve the best eye as far as possible.

I am in the UAE, and it cost me 16,000 UAE dirhams (approx 2,700 GBP) but I am not sure how much it is in the UK.

I’m also looking into this procedure at the centre for sight in London as the results seem to be very good. I currently only have mild KC in my left eye and my right eye is free of it (thank god). I’ve had KC for 15 years, I’m currently 35. Before I decide to go for the procedure I will need to get CXL done, does anyone know if this is covered by BUPA or on the NHS as it costs about £900 per eye privately. I’m more nervous about the CXL procedure than the Toric ICL one, should I be??

Thanks,

Ian

anyone else have news on this procedure.

Thanks,

Ooh this has come up just as I hit this crossroads. I was at JR Oxford on Tuesday and my Optometrist has referrred me due to Cataracts developing in both eyes and worst in my left Eye. She has told me if I get Offered Toric not to touch it with a barge pole as it will make lens fitting a nightmare.

I would be interested in others opinions of this.

When one of the top cornea guys in the East Midlands (and the one I am trusting to do my graft in May) attended our group meeting it was one of the things he spoke about. He said if I remember right that cataracts can be a positive thing after a graft as it allows them to do the ICL to correct any issues with the graft. I guess the key word here is graft. Your cornea does most of the focussing so that has to be in a reasonable condition to focus the light on the lens. Mine are rubbish so the ICL has got no chance

Ian