UK Keratoconus Self-Help and Support Association

Hi everyone ,I am due to see my surgeon in the next few weeks to discuss a possible corneal transplant in my left eye (I do not have KC in my right eye ) .The last time I saw him he was pointing out the possible risk of getting double vision ,this is because I had surgery in January for a squint which had developed in my left eye over the years due to poor vision from KC .He has managed to align the eye very well to my right one ,but is concerned that if I get sight back in that eye double vision will occur .I just wondered if any one has any experience with this i.e. how difficult is double vision to cure should it develop ?.I don’t know how much of this the surgeon is pointing out because he has too ,or whether it is a high risk .When I ask, he doesn’t like to give percentages ,he just says it is something he is concerned about .I am lucky I don’t have KC in my right eye ,so manage well with just sight in that ,however I do have a large scar now which has covered the cornea of my bad eye ,which makes me very self conscious talking to people .My head keeps going round in circles in what to do for the best ,so any thoughts from members would be very much appreciated .ps I have viewed the DVD sent my Anne on the conference given in 2005 which was very helpful ,but as always we always have more questions to ask .

just moving this post up again as its 1 week today before my opp .wondered if anyone has ever had double vision ,if so how hard is it to treat ? thanks

Hi Rob,
I think the problem is that double vision can happen for all sorts of reasons and you're probably unique in having had a squint op before your transplant, so the reasons for you may be different than for others. Having said that, there are special prism spectacles that are sometimes used to correct double vision, and of course, contact lenses can usually correct any double vision from astigmatism (and a graft is no guarantee that there won't be some astigmatism left).
Crossing my fingers that you won't have to deal with that problem and wishing you all the very best for next week.
Anne

Thanks Anne for your reply ,the surgeon did say it is a low risk ,but wanted to point it out to me so I was sure of what could happen after the opp .I know deep down this is the right road to go down for me ,but its just all come at the wrong time what with starting a new job just after christmas ,I want to create a good impression and want to take as little time off as possible for check ups etc hopfully I can work around that according to my shift pattern .Also we had booked a holiday before the date come through to tennerife at the end of january ,so i will have to check if that is still ok to go on .I am probably worrying over nothing (I am known as a bit of a stress head at the best of times lol )I guess when you read peoples experiences post opp and all the complications some have ,I tend to think I am going to get all of them !..........I really should learn to chill out more .

Many thanks again

Rob


ps I dare say I will post on here next week with how it went and probably more questions !

Hi Rob
i would think you should be OK for the holiday end of Jan. After mine (this May) i was twiddling my thumbs after a few days and wanted to do a lot more than I was allowed. I was not going to go away this year but by September I was in need of some sunshine so we went to Menoraca for a week. I decided I couldn't sit around waiting for something that may or may not happen. If you are worried about rejection whilst its always a possability i understand that it not so likely early on due to the reqular doses of Dexamethasone (steriods) you will be on. I would get a letter from the doctor saying which drops you are on. You will probably want to keep them on you rather than placing them in the hold luggage. I had to wait at security for five minutes while some jobs worth checked mine out (I didn't have a letter and we did fly on 9/11 ). I was also adviced to take a copy of the disgarge letter from the hospital.

Good luck for next week


Ian

Thanks Ian for your reply .I will talk to the surgeon /nurses after next week so hopfully they will advise on what precautions to take .How are you getting on now ? are you glad you had the graft done ?and is the recovery as bad as you thought ?


Best wishes

Rob

Hi Rob

No i dont regret the graft at all as I was in a lot of pain because the corenea was so thin and the outer most layer, the eptithlium was breaking down. Vision is rubbish but they are working on that, I had an op to adjust the sutures on the 1st November. Back at the hospital on Monday for more refractive test. always new it was going to be a long job.

As for the recovery it not been "bad" at all. There have been some days when it been sore rather than painful. If thee has been any time I have been unsure about things I have gone to the hospital eye casualty. Had to go three times I think but better safe than sorry.

Ian

Hi

At the end of August I had a Wedge Resection/Auto Lamellar Keratoplasty (surgeon advised that this was a very similar procedure to a transplant. Anyhow, after the procedure I experienced triple vision which last for 4 weeks. It was extremely difficult to live with and made even going for a walk or making a cup of tea very difficult (and so some degree potentially dangerous). Even now, I'm finding that my vision is still changing and will continue to do so once the 11 stitches are removed gradually.

Best wishes

Caroline