GRAFT UPDATE

[mohammed]

Yes Asif I do have day to day vision variations so that is reassauring and others comments like Vic and Andrew

my vision in the grfted eye was 6/24 2 months post graft


any good?

[Asif]

6/24 is good. The most I was getting was 6/36. At times I was gettin 6/24, but at some times when i first woke up in the morning I would look out my window and I would be able to see a car license plate 20m away. Then after 8 months my vision had gotten slightly worse but had my eye checked out but everything seemed fine. But now at 10 months my vision has got better since then but not significantly.

At my last checkup 9 months post graft my VA was 6/36 but my vision varies from day to day, and it does help when I regularly get a good nights sleep.

[mohammed]

Asif are you using glasses and an RGP lens and when did u get refracted for taht as I cant drive yet until I can and teh consultant said maybe at the 4-5 month post graft stage?

[Val G]

Mohammed

I know you have the same consultant as me. I was also told by one his colleagues that I would probably be fitted with lens around 5 months post graft but the man himself said about 1 year. Don't build your hopes up.
How are you coping with your reduced vision generally?
I have another check up in a month, 5 months post graft, when I may get refracted for specs.

[GarethB]

Most specialist appear to wait until the graft has stabalised before going for sight correction, generally glasses in the first instance.

Until the graft has settled, it is impossible to say if you will be fit to drive.

If you have an ungrafted eye that can still be corrected to the driving standard you would have to inform the DVLA, but you could still be able to drive.

Remember the aim of the graft is to make it easier to correct your vision rather than a KC cure.

As with KC, a constantly changing cornea is a nightmare to get good sight correction, especially if it is unstable.

Plus rushing into contact lenses on a graft can cause problems, especially if you still have stitches. The consultants I have known in my 20 years of KC, 18 years of which are post graft prefer glasses even when all the stitches are removed.

Now I am back on lenses, the optom says fitting my grafted eye is like making a lens for two eyes, a lens to correct the graft aberations and that lens must also correct the old cornea the graft is attached too which does not have KC in the case of my left eye. My right eye is like three eyes needing correcting in one lens as that has KC in one part of the ungrafted cornea too that needs correcting.

It is hard to do, but you need to be patient, you have made good progress to date.

[Val G]

Gareth

It makes sense that glasses are preferred after a graft and I will be delighted if I can achieve reasonable vision with specs but....does the grafted cornea usually smooth out enough not to require a RPG for good vision?

[GarethB]

Val,

Purely from my own experience, yes it does and for me to the extent I went 5 years with extremely good vision uncorrected in both grafted eyes.

It is only post 16 years graft things went screwey, but what happend to me is rarer than a rejection episode which is rare enough.

I do think though where post graft patients disappear from all lists are because they have good corrected vision with glasses and so get treated with realitvly simple prescriptions from a high street optom.

Most people I have met face to face at the KC confrence, socials/support group meetings and the AGM that are post graft have glasses.

[mohammed]

Hiya Val/others

appreciate ur replies


urrrrm im coping reasonable well i guess

when i can tolerate my RGP lens in my ungrafted eye that day is pretty good as I can use the PC etc etc

other days just cope as best I can.

Did your eye pressure vary Val like mine and what meds are u on now?

[Val G]

Mohammed

I was only on drops for elevated pressure for one week, I think. I am only on Maxidex twice a day now.