Recovery Dillema

[Alison Fisher]

I felt the need for an afternoon nap for a good few weeks after both my grafts. I'm sure my hubby thought I was putting it on to get out of childcare/household chores but I just couldn't keep my eyes open. I'm usually full of beans and always on the go so after a while it started to get me down a bit but it eventually passed.

My docs have told me that they (or their successors ) will want to see me once a year for the rest of my life. My optician likes to see me once a year, and at her suggestion I time that appointment to be six months after my hospital one so I'm examined in some capacity every six months.

Is your eye very bruised or swollen? After my grafts I looked like I'd gone ten rounds with Mike Tyson.

I like your attitude. It is very easy to get bogged down in the negative side of grafts and forget all the positives.

[John Smith]

After my PK graft, I was in a bad way for about 4 weeks and my eye did indeed appear as if Mike Tyson had paid it a visit.

The DALK graft though was amazing in terms of recovery time. Only 3 weeks off work and hardly any redness after about a week.

[irishproduce]

Hi Guys,

My eye is atnot swollen all now. It was slightly after the op, and I mean ever so slightly considering. . .

I feel quite tired again today even though I came home early enough last night.
The light sensitivity will not go away though, so I continue to wear the black patch when leaving the house. The vision is still very blurry and I hope this repairs itself, without lens correction.
You see what I never explained is the reason I went straight from being diagnosed with KC to graft.
I am hoping to join the police here in Ireland, thus need good vision, so I never tried any hard lenses.
They may have been sufficient to improve the vision but I would have been quite happy to remain the way I was.
I need to have good vision uncorrected!! It is alot but I might get lucky.
I am up walking around the house now and cleaning and washing, playing with the dog etc, however my head still isn't right and I still get the headaches and tiredness. This will probably go away over the next 2 weeks

[John Smith]

I hope you do get over your remaining symptoms over the next couple of weeks.

The headaches can be a right downer, but it can often be a case of your brain just getting used to seeing through your new cornea. This is often helped when you can first get glasses or contacts to cover the graft.

Remember though - that a graft's primary purpose is NOT to give you great vision, but to make your vision easier to correct using contact lenses or specs.

I do hope you end up with the vision you need for the police.

[Matthew_]

Likewise, there is a distinction between the vision you need for life, (which can be a personal adaption ie you get used to having poor sight and compensate in other ways) and the black and white employment regulations. You can probably be a policeman with some sight impairment but like the armed forces, there is a low tolerence - especially for getting in in the first place. I hope it all works out for you.

[GarethB]

My sight was Ok for Uk Polices 2 years post graft and still OK 7 years post graft when I did actually apply. Unfortunatly failed on medical grounds becaus of a sever back injury received when I was 17!

[Alison Fisher]

Hey, give yourself a chance, it's very early days yet.

I hope you get the sight you want but be prepared to need lenses or glasses. To me my post graft pre glasses sight (can you follow that? ) was amazing, but then I had very little useful sight pre graft. When I got my glasses it was another huge improvement again but there are still things, such as sensitivity to bright lights, that my non KC family and friends don't have.

Nice to have some explanation of why everyone's post graft photos don't show 'Mike Tyson opponents'. I was beginning to think it was a 'me' thing. When I had my second graft my eye swelled up so much it touched the lens of my glasses. It didn't hurt a bit, just felt odd and looked awful.

[irishproduce]

The vision is still blurry but if I move very close (I mean very close) to something I can see even small letters quite clearly.
I went for a quick cycle earlier wthout the patch although it was pretty dark.
I can only hope the vision does not need correction but even if it does then I cant complain, it just isn't meant to be.
I hope i can go back playing hurling after xmas as I have not played since I was put on the waiting list.
We will have to see.
Its good to get others experiences too and how you are all getting on years later.