KC problem

[zyzence]

Hello everyone ! I have keratoconus and transplant on my right eye done in 2004. This year my vision started deteriorating with 2 diopters of astigmatism and looks like my KC is back. Is there anything I could do to stop it from worsening? My doctor advised my against crosslinking as it might be dangerous because of rejection and the transplant cornea being more sensitive in general...

[Anne Klepacz]

Hello and welcome to the forum,
It is very rare, though not impossible, for KC to 'come back' in a grafted eye. My grafts were back in the 80s, and over the years the prescription has been very gradually changing, including changes in the degree of astigmatism. Has yours changed by 2 dioptres since it was last measured, or is it now 2 having been say 1.75 before? And have you had good vision with spectacles or contact lenses for most of the time since your graft? There is one forum user whose KC did come back some years after his graft. Hopefully he'll see your post and be able to tell you more.
Anne

[zyzence]

I've just been on check-up today with my ophtalmologist. My KC on the right eye (grafted) went from -0.5 to -2.5 cylinders during this winter and she pointed out that the corneal curve etc. has changed which MAY be an indication of progression. She also said that in 70% of the transplant cases there is KC recurring back and told me we could optionally do crosslinking if it goes worse ... another doctor with whom I've taken consultation (a professor actually) advised me against crosslinking at any cost because the cornea would get rejected Very confused what to do really ........

P.S. I'm correcting with glasses, although not perfect. A bit afraid to try RGPs, tried hybrids without success (Kerasoft).

[zyzence]

Has anyone done crosslinking after transplant to stop any suspected progression?

[Lio]

You are in a really rare situation as like Anne said (which is consistent with what you can read on the Internet), it is uncommon to have KC recurring in one eye after a transplant. And having a cross linking done after that is even more uncommon.
I think you will really need to rely on consultants/surgeons/professors expertise to make a decision and you can't rely on the experience of other people in the same situation as you (as there will be very few). You should ask them as much questions as you can (e.g. Why do you think I would reject my graft ? Did you have patients who rejected their graft after a cross linking ? How many patients have you cross linked after a graft ? Are there any studies which prove whether it is a safe or unsafe practice ?)

[Andrew MacLean]

It is uncommon, but it is not unknown for this to happen. There are at least two others on the forum who have a similar experience (the advantage of having a large group of people who are drawn more-or-less from the problem encountering part of the keratoconic population.

Take care, don't rush into anything, but do be guided by your ophthalmologist. Feel free to ask for a second opinion; nobody will mind.

Every good wish

Andrew