keratoconus research - tell us your priorities

[Anne Klepacz]

Some committee members of the KC Group were invited to meet Mr David O'Brart, consultant ophthalmologist at St Thomas's Hospital, who
wants to set up a research institute for KC to co-ordinate and further research in the UK. He wanted to know our reaction to this proposal which, as you can imagine, was highly enthusiastic! We also assured him that KC Group members would be the first to volunteer as subjects for any research (I hope we're right in this!) He also wanted to know from our members what we saw as the research priorities - if he is successful in getting funding for the institute, what sort of research would we like to see? This is a great opportunity for us to have some input into what is important for us. So - over to you! Please let us know and we'll pass all ideas on.
Anne

[Lia Williams]

Anne,

Here's one idea:

Effects to the cornea from long term contact lens wear and in particular what causes contact lens intolerance and how can it be prevented

A presenter at one of the KC group meetings said that there were less older people attending contact lens clinics than would be expected but it was not known why. So as it is unlikely that eye sight improves with age this suggests to me that many older people have given up wearing contact lenses and therefore managing with substandard vision from glasses. I suspect that this could be due to contact lens intolerance although there could be other reasons.

Personally I have worn contact lenses for 37 years and having recently gone through a lengthy process to refit my right eye so I am very aware that in the future I may have issues with contact lens intolerance. So how do we optimise cornea health to enable 60 or 70 years of contact lens wear?

Lia

[Anne Klepacz]

Great suggestion, Lia (well, I would say that, as another long term contact lens wearer!) Please keep the ideas coming, folks. This really is a not to be missed opportunity for us to have some input.
Anne

[Ian Anderson]

What equipment hould the Optician / Opthalmologist have on site to be able to best prescribe lenses both contact and spectacle

Should said equipment be linked directly to the lens grinding equipment?

What training should be done to ensure operators of such equipment can correctly utilise said equipment and ensure the results are correctly interpreted?


(I ask the above as I have been tested in other contries and the standard of equipment far outstrips everything I have seen in the UK especially when combined with UK incompetence)

Yes I would be a guineapig.

Ian

[DanB]

Hi Anne

How about researching what actually causes KC? Bit ambitious I know, but if we can ever get away from treating the symptoms and treat the cause instead, it would be a massive step forwards.

Dan.

[longhoc]

Mine would be:

"Best practice for management of intraocular pressure post- eye graft surgery".

Cheers

Chris

[dalbeath]

Everyone goes on about eye rubbing causing KC - but people have rubbed their eyes for centuries. I know diagnosis has improved but in the opinion of my optician the number of people with KC in increasing. It is relatively uncommon in the older generation (I mean +75 years)

People also say there is a link to KC and hayfever/allergies/asthma etc and it is assumed that the reason is that people with hayfever/allergies/asthma rub their eyes more often.

I would be interested to see if the real reason that people with hayfever/allergies/asthma are more likely to have KC is that there is a link between 'modern' hayfever/allergies/asthma drugs and the weakening of the cornea. Could their be a link to anti histamines or steriod inhalers and the degeneration of the cornea???

[Anne Klepacz]

Some great questions here - thank you, and please keep them coming!
Anne

[liam82]

People also say there is a link to KC and hayfever/allergies/asthma etc and it is assumed that the reason is that people with hayfever/allergies/asthma rub their eyes more often.

I would be interested to see if the real reason that people with hayfever/allergies/asthma are more likely to have KC is that there is a link between 'modern' hayfever/allergies/asthma drugs and the weakening of the cornea. Could their be a link to anti histamines or steriod inhalers and the degeneration of the cornea???

I think research in this area would be good, to ultimately prove or disprove it - as I dont suffer from hayfever, asthma or any allergies (that im aware of) at all. But I have developed KC

My girlfriend on the other hand has tons of allergies (shes even allergic to metal!), struggles really badly with hayfever, is constantly rubbing her eyes - but doesnt havent KC.

[dalbeath]

You know how sometimes in furniture shops you see those 'mechanical bottoms' which are supposed to mimic the effects of someone constantly getting up and sitting down on a chair to stress test it. Well surely they could get corneas and mimic the effects of eye rubbing and then study the effect on the thickness of the cornea and also the collagen structure in the 3rd layer.

I guess if you have weak collagen then to rub the eye will cause more stress on the collagen but what is it that makes one person's collagen nice and strong and another s so weak it starts to crumple?