Scleral Lens

[stuart]

A scleral lens is giving me at least 6/9 so I shall go with that. I have however asked about Kerasoft as I have not heard of it before. I presume they had already discounted it in my case.

[GarethB]

Stuart,

My graft is 20 years old, but the graft does not have KC. The rarerest of the rare infact rarer than rejection occured, the cornea the graft is attached to developed KC again hence the high astigmatism.

I know many post grfat who have astigmatism up at 6. This is why there is pretty much an even split in the post graft community between those who need glasses for good vision and those who can only see with contact lenses. In some cases no correction is necessary.

I have been through glasses post graft recovery to many years need no correction at all then many years with glasses and the past 2 1/2 years with contact lenses.

[Steven Williams]

Hi Stuart,

Is your scleral a "mini" scleral or a full scleral?

It would be useful if someone could list all the different types of contact lenses currently prescribed for KC in the order that is tried and at what point a certain lens becomes unsuitable.

Surely by now the medical profession has now gone past the stage of dealing it by a trial and error fit process!

Incidently anyone know when KC was first
diagnosed by the medical profession? It would be interesting to read about the history of its management and key diary dates of relevant events/advances in its treatment.

[jayuk]

Incidently anyone know when KC was first
diagnosed by the medical profession? It would be interesting to read about the history of its management and key diary dates of relevant events/advances in its treatment.

Steven ; KC was allegedly discovered as far back as 1748 and was then called Staphyloma diaphanum. In 1854 a fellow Brit then then described what KC was and how the condition differenciated between other cornea conditions. By 1869 another swiss optham had written an extensive account of KC and how to measure it etc....and from then it already was given the name as Keratoconus

If I can dig out the comprehensive url ill stick that up...

[GarethB]

To be honest I do not thing from reading this forumlenses are tried in any particular order as such.

There is also the fact that some optoms come across as not trying all the options which may be because they do not know about them because they are dealing with so many other conditions and not many KC patients. There is also the fact they may lack confidence, knowledge, skill in trying anything too different. Time will probably be a factor in this too.

I know the hospital I go to, they do not use all the lens options because they admit they lack experience in some. To gain expereince they need to work with these lenses, but for this you need a willing volunteer. In my experience volunteers are lacking because they do not wish to be a guine pig (sp).

There are cases where catch 22 plays out.

[stuart]

Steven,

I presume it is a full scleral. I have not heard of a mini scleral.

So far I have just had the fitting. It will be a couple of months before I get one. I was very impressed when I had the fitting. My vision was substantially improved, although only to 6/9. When it was taken out I felt blind in that eye!

Of course they are expert at putting in and taking out the lens. I only hope I can find it as easy when I do it!

They may have known about Keratoconus for some time but it does still seem to be treated by trial and error. I had five contact lenses at Moorfields before they decided to try a scleral lens! And of course cornea transplants are very hit and miss still.

[Lesley Foster]

Stuart,

A mini scleral is about half the size of a full one it doesn't cover as much of the eye but more than a corneal lens does. I have one of each, a normal size scleral in my left eye and a mini one in the right eye. I have a droopy eyelid on my right eye and I find the mini lens more comfortable as it doesn't catch on the eyelid.

As for types of lenses used for KC, I have only ever had RGPs and now sclerals, I had never heard of any others until I found this site. I had always assumed that soft lenses were for people with "normal" shortsight.

Lesley.