Corneal Graft Tomorrow....

[djs1972]

Well its 4 weeks since my graft, and all is ok so far, my eye is now quite comfortable and not giving me too much trouble. Vision is still poor but slowly getting better, but the main thing is the Consultant is happy and not worried about my eye.

I on the other hand am slowly going mad by the fact i cant do the amount of cycling i ejoyed pre op!

but never mind.

[Andrew MacLean]

Take it easy and your eye will go on healing as you come to b able to cycle more and more. Rush at it and your eye's recovery may be set back.

Every good wish.

Andrew

[djs1972]

Well its getting on for nearly 3 months now since my graft, the eye still gives no pain, has not emitted water or gunk, and is generally ok. Now down to twice a day on my drops, and it is alot better in bright light situations, my only slight concern is the vision is exactly the same as the first checkup, its not improved at all, the consultant says this is down to the stitches still being very tight, but i suppose i am keen to see some sort of improvement.

Hope everyone else is getting on ok, and back soon.

[longhoc]

Hi djs

Great that things are going so well. Reducing the drops is a really good sign -- means that the graft is likely being accepted and any inflammation is settling down. Fingers crossed that it keeps that way. You're passed the most critical stage at three months post-op -- chances are that if it was going to go wrong, it would have happened in that timeframe.

As for the vision, yes, that's one of the hardest things. I too have suggested to my consultant after struggling to get more then three lines down on the chart (and ambitiously squinting away to try and get a fourth, without really fooling anyone) that it would be nice if, well, I could get 20/20 straight away so how's about it ? Getting (deservedly) that sympathetic-but-slightly-pained look the professionals give us when they know and we know we're asking for the unreasonable and unrealistic but we still want it anyway, I was duly informed that the vision takes a bit of time to get to it's final state. Like about a year. In fact, it isn't until the stitches are out that you really know what you're left with. There is even a case for saying that if you get perfect vision immediately post-op, that isn't necessarily a good thing because they graft will almost certainly change shape as the wound heals and will be even more likely to change as the stiches come out. So, we have to be patient and not worry.

Like that is ever going to happen.

Best wishes, let us know how things go from here.

Chris

[djs1972]

Chris,

Thanks for the reply, i have been given hell by my dear wife for not being patient, but slowly as time has passed its got easier. i wish i could get to the 4th line of the eye chart! really struggle with the big letter at the top if im honest, but once the eye is covered and i look through the pin hole lens its all much better.

Not sure if its normal, but every now and again, it all gets to me and i wonder why it cant heal much quicker, but i suppose as long as the Consultant is happy, i have to trust him and just do as he says.

darren.

[djs1972]

Well its 10 months now since my graft, and sadly my sight hasnt really improved much in the last few months, at no point have i had any pain, the graft is clear and has sealed really well. i still have 14 stitches in place, but a rather large amount of stigmatism (hope thats spelt ok). The consultant is still happy with the healing process, and drops are down to once a day.

But i am now in limbo, i cant see any better than before the operation, i can tolerate bright light alot better even though i cant read much at all on the eye chart, im beginning to wonder if something really isnt right with my eye, and dont really know what to do now, one thing i do know for certain is, i dont want any more visits to hospital this year! 5 operations so far, eye + 4 for bi-lateral kidney stones...........2012, youve been an experience medically thats for sure..

Hope everyone else is getting on ok and having abit more luck.

[GrandPaClanger]

Hi Darren

I am 18 months post graft. I still can't get the top letter. I had a lot of astigmatism to but they managed to reduce it a bit with removing a few stitches. There is still 13 left but they want to leave it a bit longer for the eye to heal more before removing any more.

On a positive side I can wear glasses for pottering about but the prescription doesn't last long as the eye is still changing. I am going to the hospital this morning to pick up a supply of daily disposable contacts. It seems my main problem now is not the astigmatism but the fact I am very short sighted at -6. Who knows even without KC and the graft that may still have been the case.

Hang on in there we'll get there in the end

Ian

[GrandPaClanger]

Update: picked soft lenses up. Very comfortable even with 13 sutures still in place. Only wore it for a couple of hours (adding an hour a day). Getting 6/9 vision so room for improvement but its a big big step in the right direction. Bit scary taking it out though. Totally different technique to removing an RGP

Ian

[djs1972]

Ian,

thanks for the reply, 10 months isnt too long then for recovery, im like you as i have 14 stitches still in place, and when i go back in November there is talk of taking a few out, but as the shape of my eye on the scan hasnt altered much in the last 6 months im slightly confused as to what that may achieve. My big concern is the Keratoconus in my left eye is advancing, as i had real trouble with the eye chart at my last checkup, and had both of my piggy back lenses changed quite alot.

Good luck with the soft lens setup, would be interested to hear how you get on with them in the post op eye.

[longhoc]

What I've sort-of realised (it was never actually spelt out as such) is that a graft is, if truth be told, rather than being an end result in and of itself more of a facilitator to some other procedure or contact lens options.

The chances of emerging post graft with good vision or spectacles-correctable vision is seemingly a bit of a long shot. I'm sure some lucky people get that outcome -- but they do appear to be few and far between.

Not withstanding that rather downbeat assessment, I'm for the first time in 20 years filled with real optimism and hope about my vision. Pre-graft, it was the familiar struggle with the (eventually) impossible compromises and inherent contradictions in getting "a lens that fitted". There wasn't any other deal on the table, being way past eligibility for Crosslinking.

Now, I've got:

+ A possibility of making do with glasses (never be perfect but it might be liveable with)
+ The usual "familiar favourites" choice of lenses -- but with a much more regular cornea to try to get them to work with... plus...
+ ... Daily disposable lenses (usually a no-no for Keratoconus at anything other than stage 1)
+ Implantable lenses of one sort or another
+ Laser surgery e.g. T-CAT etc.

If I've got a niggle, it's that there's not much candour about the likely spread of post-graft vision results while you're making that hard decision about whether to go for a graft or not. But in fairness, what can the professionals say ? All they can do is explain the range of possibilities. If they started going on about how some people get good vision unaided although it's only a (maybe) <5% chance, the normally uber-optimistic amongst us might leap on that sort of statement -- only to be bitterly disappointed if didn't work out that way. Conversely, if they painted a gloomy picture about how some people ended up with really poor vision and a major headache for the optometrists to try and sort out (which is what happens, even the best ophthalmologists can do nothing much else for graft patients with poor outcomes than chuck 'em over to the contact lens fitters and hope they can salvage something) a lot of people who really do need a graft might end up soldiering on with what are fairly hefty quality-of-life reductions.

We live and learn I guess... perhaps that's why we're here.

Cheers

Chris