Driving

[Stace234]

Hi, I've just come back from my latest opticians appointment and have been told that i may not be able to drive for much longer. I am devastated at this news and are wondering what my options are. I have been told glasses have little to no effect so this is not a great option. Contacts would make sense but last time i tired to have them fitted i collapsed stone cold. Have i got any other options??
Thanks xx

[GarethB]

Hi Stacie

There are options and if you colapsed last time you wore contacts you need to find out why becacause if this can be over come, then you might be able to wear contacts no problem. There are a number of soft lens options too which are remarkably cmfortable so if it was a comfort thing, then may be this would help.

A surgical option I have heard working well is unfortuantly unavailable on the NHS but you consultant might be able to apply for funding via your local Primary Care Trust due to your circumstances. I have heard great results where people have had Intacs fitted and once the eye has settled from this, CXL is performed. The theory goes the Intacs provide a more normal corneal shape and the CXL halts the KC progression. The data I have seen presented to date has shown that many of those who have undergone this procedure get perfect vision with glasses and a few with no visual correction.

The other option is a graft which may well still mean that good vision is only achieved with contact lenses, this may aslo be the case with the above as any surgical intervention for KC has the aim of providing a more regular corneal surface so vision correction is easier. This is either by using glasses or contact lenses.

Hope this helps.

[Andrew MacLean]

Stace

As Gareth says, there are lens types and lens materials that you may be able to wear.

I presume that the lenses you tried last time were RGP corneal lenses. While this is, probably, the most common lens offered to people with keratoconus, it is not the only type and (for many people) it is not the best.

In addition to the soft lenses that Gareth uses with great success and comfort, there are haptic (sometimes called scleral) lenses, hybrids, piggy back and all sorts of lenses in between. So; as the wise man said, "don't panic".

Make an appointment with your contact lens specialist (you may be best seeking a referral through your ophthalmologist) and explain your reaction last time to the lenses that they tried. Ask specifically about other lenses and ask which your optometrist thinks may be the most suitable for you.

Again, as Gareth has said, even if there is no lens that will give you driving vision, there remain other options.

All the best

Andrew

[Stace234]

Thanks for this advice and yes it was the RGP lenses i tried last time. I have heard about the soft lenses but didn't know if you could get them on the NHS? I have asked for a referral now so hopefully something should get down in the near future.
xx

[Stace234]

After having a chat to a few people, think the reason i reacted badly to the contact lenses was because everything looked so different and magnified and i had never seen the world like that before also the fact i couldn't get away from that feeling. Hopefully having them fitted around June time so fingers crossed!
xx

[Lynn White]

Chasing you around here Stace...

The visual effects you experienced with lenses are a quite normal reaction by your brain to seeing properly for the first time for a long time.It WILL settle and is not unlike what some people experience with glasses if they have gone a long time with bad eyesight before getting sorted out.

Recently, in the news, was a US Bob-sledder who had various operations to sort out his KC. It was a fantastic story.... but.... he couldn't cope with seeing, so deliberately scuffed his goggles to give him back burred vision, as he couldn't now bob sled with clear eyesight! Predictably, the media played down this aspect of his story as it didn't fit in with the "Miracle- eyesight restored" message. The fact is, you get used to seeing how you see and any change takes some getting used to!

Soft lenses ARE available under the NHS, as is ANY other lens type. However, the lens type fitted to you depends on the clinical judgement of the practitioner fitting you and the fitting policy of the PCT you are under.

Lynn

[GarethB]

Lynn missed out that the bob sleder in question went on to win gold as the driver of the US 4 man bob team at the 2010 Olympics.

[Lynn White]

I did indeed! Which is a very interesting point....!

Lynn

[MartinC]

which is pretty dam*ed impressive with a pair of badly scratched googles!

[stevematic]

I've heard about the Toric ICL which the US bobsledder Steve Holcomb (who is mentioned above) received and his vision improved (apparently) from 20/500 to 20/20. It's something I am exploring, although my otphamologist wants to make sure my eyes are stable over the next few months.