Being tried for glasses - need time to adjust?

[craigthornton]

A brief history, I have had very mild KC in my left eye for years. In my right eye I had it worse, eventually hydrops, then a graft. Due to a subsequent accident I lost the lens part of the right eye, though the cornea was saved.

I have now had all the sutures removed and the eye itself feels fine but am struggling to tolerate a contact lens in it.

I am seeing my opthalmist on 18th March. He's told me there's a slim chance glasses might work. He said due to the difference in prescription between eyes then glasses don't usually work as a different sized image is formed on each retina and the brain can't join them together. But he said some patients surprise them and they do work.

I am wondering though if I need to be trying them out for a few days, not just a 1/2 hour appointment? I know after the initial graft I did not wear a contact lens for a good 8 months. When I first put it back in, I saw double for a few hours until my brain seemed to kick in and make the eyes work together!

I am REALLY hoping these work. Because of the accident my vision is so poor in the right eye and without a contact lens in I have binocular double vision.

I've also started getting mild double-vision in the left eye by itself. I went to Eye Casualty but they can't see anything wrong. Though at 39 I wouldn't expect it to be the KC suddenly progressing. They said glasses/contacts would correct it. My current left lens does the job!

At the minute, uncorrected, I have monocular double-vision in both eyes and binocular double-vision. No wonder I get fed up!!

[Anne Klepacz]

If my experience is anything to go by then you're right - the brain does need time to adjust. After I'd had grafts in both eyes, I had a period when I couldn't wear lenses. At one point I had a big difference between the two eyes, and was given some glasses which I was told I probably wouldn't be able to cope with. For the first few days, I felt buildings were toppling over on me when I walked down the street - very unsettling! But within a week, the brain had somehow rewired itself to cope with this strange world, and the glasses were fine (until the next change in vision and a new prescription!) Very best of luck - I hope the glasses work for you too.
Anne

[craigthornton]

Thanks for the reply!

How were you "given glasses"? Presumably you didn't go round wearing the metal "test" frames where they put in and take out lenses! Do you get a plastic pair with some lenses inserted?

[Anne Klepacz]

You're right, 'given' is hardly the right word! In fact I spent a fortune on glasses for a year or two post grafts until I could go back to lenses because the prescription kept changing every few months as the graft 'settled'. To cut down on the expense, I bought a cheap pair of NHS frames so it was 'just' the glasses I had to keep paying for.
Anne

[Andrew MacLean]

I remember the cost of glasses in the time post graft while my vision was still not stable. Actually, it was my own fault. My ophthalmologist encouraged me to wait, but I was impatient.

Andrew