UK Keratoconus Self-Help and Support Association

Hi guys,

Lately I am reading books more but because of my KC I cant read much before my eyes start to sting and become blurred, do you have any tips that I could try? squinting more maybe? washing eyes between chapters? buy some reading glasses?

p.s - I am not using contacts for my KC yet.

Hi

Last year, and beg of this year I was sitting multiple Exams and thus had to do a lot of reading. What I found excellent was the purchase of Pin Hole Glasses, and my room light having a 150w bulb without a shade!.......

Doing it this was, I didnt need the lenses in my eyes, and could see crystal clear with the glasses.......maybe that may help?

J

hallo reality,
i do a lot of reading, and for me the acid test of the utility of contacts is how well I can read in them.
SOme suggestions;
You could try taking a book to one of the shops that sell reading glasses over the counter, and trying some out to see if they help. You put them on, and sit and try to read your book and see how you get on.
YOu could investigate getting contacts...... well, that's a whole lifetime of appointments, trials and other hassles, but it may be the first sign you'll need to go that way sooner or later.
is it better in a good light?
You could try experiemnting with holding the book at different angles/distances.
You could try a magnifying glass - suppliers of assistive technology aids make special rectangular ones on stands for partially-sighted people to read books through.

Or - you may just have to accept that you'll read more slowly than once you could, and will have to keep stopping, looking up, resting, blinking, etc.

You may just find your brain gets used to coping with the blurred edges and "gets used to it" and it sstops being a problem - other than you're just slower than you once were.

Good luck.
Rosemary

If you have access to a photocopier, I find enlarging A4 to A3 helps alot. I have also found placing a coloured document wallet or going to the local motor factors and getting just larger than A4 size of light car glass tinting film takes the harshness of black on white print.

If it is stuff printed off the net, I find printing to orange paper useful, sometimes I will even scan pages into the pc just so I can print them on orange paper.

Hi reality,

fwiw here are some tips;

1) Get a decent eye exam. That will tell you of you need anything for near reading or not. And may give you pointers as to where to go next.

2) Asssuming you dont, and the vision is good then a full orthoptic assessment - that's a check on the muscle balance of the eyes is in order

3) Always use decent lighting. eg task lighting for close work. Pinhole specs are intially OK but in the end can mask more serious problems and above all block out most of the light - just the thing the retinal neds to work and function well!! So imho avoid pinhole specs.

Hope that helps.

Best
David