UK Keratoconus Self-Help and Support Association

Hi, I've been waiting to see my doctor for a while and I've finally got an appointment on the 24th of September. I have been diagnosed with Keratoconus but I have no contacts or glasses or anything yet, so I'm already worrying (as I do) that my Keratoconus is moving more rapidly day to day because of this. I was wondering how much 'damage' computer screens and TV's do to Keratoconus sufferers, with or without their prescription glasses or contacts. Also, while I'm waiting for my appointment would getting glasses to help my vision a little bit help? To maybe take the strain off of my eyes a little bit while I wait for my appointment?

Hi Smudgersmith,

Sitting in front of a computer screen makes you blink less and make your eyes dry, but as far as I know, there is no evidence that it will affect the progression of KC. Nor will getting a pair of glasses stop the progression of KC, only cross linking will do that. I hope this will make you little less worried.


J Hoffa

Thanks for replying.

Will glasses help relax my eyes at all and maybe take away some of the strain while I'm waiting for my appointment to come around?

Yeah your eyes will definately be less strained!

All that squinting must stress them!

Defo would reconmend some glasses, it's good for your eyes to have a break from contacts een when you get them. Vision won't be as good as with contacts, but better than without anything!

Getting a pair of glasses if definitely a good idea, even once your contact lenses arrive there might be days when your eyes feel sore and getting the lens in is hard work, or if infection occurs and also for everyday your lenses can only stay in for so many hours, It helps knowing that you've got spectacles to give you reasonable vision.

Glasses for me never proved to be any good from 2004 onwards in my grafted eyes, so it was RGP's worn as longa s possible and partialy sighted although one eye was about bad enough to be legally blind.

I pushed for soft lenses specifically designed for KC and since 2008 I wear my lenses all day every day (yet to discover a maximum wear time, longest to date is 6 consecutive days wearing lenses for 18 - 21 hours, average is 16 hours), first thing in the morning my lenses go in adn last thing at night they come out. Comfort wise better than when I wore glasses, infinitly better than RGP lenses, quality of vision is best I have ever had.

From the many consultants and optoms that I have spoken with at confrences in the past 8 years or so have all said that eye infections in people with KC are relatively low becaauce of the importance we palce on hygiene with looking after our lenses because for many even with glasses as a back up life is much harder than when they wear their lenses.

So far no eye care professional has provided me with an adequate justification for why soft lenses for KC are rarely considered as the first choice of lenses. Saying cost to the NHS is a very limited and narrow argument that fails to take all factors in to account.

I absolutely agree that soft lenses ought to be part of the armoury of eyecare professionals dealing with people with keratoconus. I was only sorry that they didn't work for me.

Soft lenses work best for me. I use Kerasoft 3.

I have glasses as back up and when my eyes get tired. I don't like glasses to as I get a lot more ghosting and smearing. I'm legal to drive with glasses, but I won't due to my quality of vision with them.

I have tried piggy back lenses, RGP on top of a daily soft lens. I don't like those either. It does sharpen the acuity more than the soft lenses, but introduces more ghosting. The white centre lines on the roads look like they're floating about 1-2ft above the real ones :S Drives me insane.