Intac removal - some advice please!

[Sophie]

Hello,

I've not posted for a long time, I found everyone so helpful back in 2004 when I had my first graft. I even met some of you in a pub when I was living in London!

And now I've returned, with a new question and a new reason to seek peoples advice/experience support.

I had an intac put in my non-grafted eye a few years ago. it was not successful, didn't improve my vision or make it easier to fit contacts. In fact, it drives me slightly insane sometimes! When my pupil is big and the intact is within it's circle I get a reflected circle of light for every point of light - not sure that makes sense, but it makes it quite tricky to cycle sometimes (green red and white circles everywhere in the dark!) and I have a passionate dislike for the odd candel in a darkish room!

Anyway, it comes to the stage, where we have run out of options and we are heading down the graft route, but first the intac must be taken out!

I have moved to Bristol now, but had the intac put in up in sheffield. So it is a different surgeon who will take it out. He hasn't ever taken one out before, and isn't sure if anyone has. he said he would 'read up on the literature'!!

I had my pre op assessment today, my op is due for 20th April. I thought I would get to see the surgeon and talk to him again, but I didn't and it was quite a few months ago that we decided on this op. I know I have to trust him and know he knows what he is doing, but I feel a bit like no-one really knows who i am or cares.

My job at the moment is really very busy and I've not thought about the op much, but today has made me realise I need to invest a bit more thougth in it and first I thought of this forum and hoped you might have some words and thoughts to share on it.

Has anyone had one taken out?
does anyone know what the worst case scenario is? - if it goes wrong/can it go wrong?

Having this worry taht somehow the plastic will have grown into my cornea and won't be able to be taken out without creating some sort of hash up of my eye!

I really want it out - beacuse of the weird circles I get and becuase I don't like having a bit of plastic in there! I dealt much better with my graft and knowing that it is from a donor than I do with the plastic thing!

I really like my consultants in Sheffield, my conatcts man seemed like he genuinely cared. In bristol I have know of these feelings yet!

Anyway... I ramble. If you made it this far in the post Im impressed and hopefully you have some words of wisdom for me! If anyone has anything to share I would be really happy to hear form you.

Many thanks and happy sunny thoughts to you all,
Soph

[Andrew MacLean]

Sophie

Welcome back. I see that you register as having only one post, does this mean that you had to re-register with the forum in order to logon?

All the best with your INTACS removal. Is it safe to assume that the surgeon who removed the INTACS will be the same surgeon that grafts your eye?

It can take a bit of time to settle down to the different ways of different practitioners. When I moved from Aberdeen to Glasgow in 1985 I had to get used to a whole new set of optometrists. It took us both a bit of time: they had to adjust to the expectations that I brought to the consultations, and I had to adjust to theirs. We quickly did settle, and I have grown in my admiration of them and the work they do.

Every good wish

Andrew

[GarethB]

Not sure if anyone on the forum has had an intact removed, but I am sure one of the speakers at the confrence in 2007 said he had one removed. From a presentation at Birmingham it seems removal is relatively simple. It is a small incision at one end of the intac and just pulled out of its chanel with tweezers and the whole thing left to heal.

Never occure to me at the time to ask could an intact be removed at the same time a graft is performed!

From my experience all consultants know many others in the same field so when you get them all together there is a very broad range of experience. I'm sure there is even a clip of an intacs operation on the web somewhere for him to get clued up on. Plus he should have your notes from the last hospital so can speak with the consultant that put the intacs in.

I have even heard of consultants when they hear of a new procedure getting permission from the patient so they can watch what is done for their own education so you never know the guy who put the intac in could come and show your new consultant how to remove it.

All the best.

[Anne Klepacz]

Good to see you again Sophie! I was in that pub and wondered where you'd disappeared to!
The consultant who talked at the 2007 conference about Intacs and other options for KC told us 11% of Intacs were later removed. Problems with night vision and seeing the edge of the Intacs often being the reason for removal. If you'd like a copy of the DVD, do e-mail me your new postal address and I'll send it to you anne@keratoconus-group.org.uk
Good luck
Anne

[jums]

Dear Sophie

I was just checking out the site and came across your post

My fiance had an intac removed in November of last year. He had it in his eye for a year when he had it removed. He was in the same situation that you are currently facing. Below are the things that I can remember about it:

It was a straight forward quick procedure and and he was back in his room in under two hours.
His eye was patched up and I took it off for him the next day.
He had to have drops for four weeks.
It was a bit sore for a few days.
He had follow up appointments after two and six weeks. The six week appointment was when a stitch was removed in preparation for his transplant.
He had two weeks off of work, but was ok after a week or so.

Hope this helps

Jo

[Andrew MacLean]

jums

Good to see you, welcome to the forum.

Andrew

[Sophie]

Hello all,

Thankyou so much for all the replies. his is such a useful place1 I sort of forgot a bit about it and last week when I was worrying about my eyes and feeling like I wasn't sure who to talk to I remembered you all and what helpful replies you have sent.

Anne - I will email you my address, would be great to have a look at the dvd.

Andrew - I did have to re-register, only because I forgot my user name and password, I have a yahoo email adress too so opened a new account with that. Hope that doesn't cause any site admin issues. and thanks - your right, sometimes it takes a while to build up relatinoships with new consultants/hospitals. I have to accept them and work on it I think! just not possible to have it done in sheffield and I can't move back there just becuase I liked my eye doc!

I have private messaged a few people, but thankyou to the people I haven't. I'm reassured by what I have read. My consultant gave me the impression no one had ever had one out!

Thanks again for all the replies, I will keep in touch

Soph

[Andrew MacLean]

Sophie

I am sure that no site admin problems were caused by your need to re-register (I say that with a smile, because if there are they are well beyond me to resolve and so the difficulty belongs to John and not to you or me!)

All the best

Andrew