UK Keratoconus Self-Help and Support Association

I have my operation for the graft on the 4th and have been told the operation is one hour, going to be released the same day, now the interesting thing is i have been offered a place on a course two days after the operation, in which just entails sitting taking notes, would it be worth doing it or not? I will ask my consultant monday

What is the course about?

All the best for the 4th, Chris.
I kept falling asleep in the first week after the op (effect of the anaesthetic which takes up to 10 days to clear out of the body). I don't think I could have concentrated on even the most riveting of courses! But we're all different - some people on this forum seem to have been remarkably bright and alert after their ops.
Anne

Good luck for the 4th Chris I found that after my graft I was twiddling my thumbs looking for things to do (that you are allowed to) after a couple of days. However after a suture adjustment I was more lethargic for a few days . Just how you react to the general at the time. I know some of the courses I attend (and run) can be expensive to attend so you want to get the best out of it for yourself and I assume your employer. Is there an exam at the end? If so not sure that I would want that added pressure.

Ian

The course is for voluntary work just a core training exercise, if i dont attend then it will be spetember before my next chance and the draw back being i am unemployed at the moment and wish to be steaming towards employment come september time, and i so dont want to upset any potential employer by having to have a handful if days off. And thanks for all the kind support regards the operation, im pretty tough fella and been through plenty of tough times so will no doubt bounce back quickly

After my grafts I don't think I'd have been up to doing anything like a course for at least 2 weeks. Last Thursday I had a further operation to try to correct the astigmatism left from my last graft (this operation isn't meant to be as bad as a graft!). I had the op at about 4pm so stayed in overnight. Friday my eye was extremely sore all day. On Saturday morning it was again very sore and I struggled to keep it open. I spent most of the morning dozing. Sunday was a little better but again this morning it was difficult to keep it open and concentrate on looking at anything for any length of time. It feels a lot better now but still I can feel a great strain when I try to concentrate on something (writing this I've got that eye shut most of the time!). Good luck with your op and the course too if you decide to go ahead with it.

Hi, All the best for the 4th. I was totally fine after the anesthetic but was in a lot of pain overnight as my iris had been starved of oxygen. This was found the morning after the op and after a few eye drops felt a bit better but I must admit I wanted to keep my eye closed for quite a few days after the op. I found that my intacs operation were more painful than the graft one.

Now for some advice please: I have now been offered a new operation. My surgeon wants to place a lens with vision in it onto the transplanted graft. I have been warned that sometimes a side effect of these are cataracts and you can only have one cataract operation in a lifetime. I am now in a job I enjoy and would love to study to further my career. I still have problems with my contact lenses. In the grafted eye the lens seems to become cloudy and hard to see through. It is easier not to wear any lens than see through a fog. Cleaning does not help the situation.
I am tempted to go for this new operation. I hope my job will be OK as I have only been there for four months.
Have you heard about the success rates of this operation?
I would be grateful to hear of any comments anyone has on this subject.

Ginny, have another look at the DVD of our 2009 conference. You'll find that the consultant who spoke in the afternoon covered this procedure (intra-ocular lenses). That should give you better information on which to make your decision.
Of course, the alternative is to explore different contact lens options - you don't say which type of lenses you currently use, but it might be that a different type of lens would work better on your grafted eye.
All the best
Anne

Ginny

My lenses appeared to go cloudy in my right grafted eye and what I discovered was that the lens was OK, but it was my cornea becoming cloudy due to odeoma (the corena became waterlogged) due to lack of oxygen. This was only after long lens wear times when I could wear RP lenses for a long time and worst with the first generation of soft lenses for KC.

Now that I use the Kerasoft IC lenses (other soft lenses available) this is no longer a problem, I get perfect vision, comletly unaware that I have lenses appart from the fact I see, wear lenses all my waking hours every day and can easily go +20 hours for multiple days if I need to with no problems at all.