acute hydrops

[superleeds]

I have had keratoconus for twenty two years and Ive just turned 55. In that time I have got away with wearing RGP. I attend my local NHS hospital every six months. My main problem has always been lens discomfort, mucus secretions and light sensitivity. I have been told I have unusually pointed corneas and that’s why my lenses often pop off into my eyelid. Never even heard of Hydrops until now. On Monday night I assumed my cloudy vison was a dirty lens at the end of a long day. I took it out and all I could see was something akin to what you see through a frosted bathroom window. Nothing but cloudy colours in a white fog. I panicked at went to AE. That doc said I had scratched my cornea and told me to go to the eye clinic next day. I did that and they looked at me and said straight away its hydrops. I have an appointment with the cornea specialist next week. I can say that it was frightening at first. I can still only see white fog and misty colours in my right eye. Taking three lots of eye drops three times a day. Its sore and a little perturbing now although I have sort of got used to it in a way. I am forever shutting my ‘good eye’ ( oh the irony) to check on my white cloud vision. No change. I took a couple of days off work when it first happened but went back today. I spend a lot of time on computers looking at patient records. I found that after a while I sort of felt seasick and my bad eye became more painful. My wife suggested wearing an eye patch; would that be a good idea? I gather then that I have to sit tight and see ( ha ha ) what happens. Hopefully my specialist will tell me more on Thursday. I found this site years ago and have dropped in from time to time. Its good to know I am not alone. Thanks

[Anne Klepacz]

Commiserations! Hydrops is scary, especially as it's so sudden. It's often accompanied by acute pain, so at least it sounds as though you've been spared that. Have you found the very good article about hydrops on our home page, which may reassure you a bit?
http://www.keratoconus-group.org.uk/exp ... nd_kc.html
Hydrops does eventually clear, though it can take weeks or months in some cases. Not sure about the eye patch idea - stopping the flow of air around the cornea may not be a good idea. Something to check with your specialist tomorrow. Are there other tasks in your job that don't involve starting at a PC screen so that you could take regular breaks? Having had various periods in my KC journey when I was totally dependent on one eye, including a complete 'white out' like yours when one of my grafts failed a couple of years ago, all I can say is that it does get easier as the brain kicks in to 'switch off' the fog as the days and weeks go by. All the best, and let us know how things go.

[superleeds]

Thanks for your reply. Pretty scary at first but i am adjusting. I will let you know how i get on. x

[superleeds]

Well I would describe my appointment with the cornea dr as a none event. I learnt more from this site! Anyway he looked into my eye for a few seconds and said ''its still full of water''. He then told me, showing zero emotion or indeed empathy, that it should go away in about three months. He then told me that I will ''probably'' have a scar in the middle of my eye that will impede my vision. He prescribed eye ointment to take four times a day and I will get another OPA in a month. Well thanks a lot. I already knew that it is a case of waiting to see how it goes but he could have looked interested. Oh well onwards and upwards.

[Anne Klepacz]

Sorry to hear that you had such a negative experience. I suppose you didn't get a chance to ask about the pros and cons of an eye patch? Glad you're not letting the medic's attitude get to you! At least there's people here who know what it's like so you're not alone.
All the best for the next few months.

[superleeds]

Sorry to hear that you had such a negative experience. I suppose you didn't get a chance to ask about the pros and cons of an eye patch? Glad you're not letting the medic's attitude get to you! At least there's people here who know what it's like so you're not alone.
All the best for the next few months.

Thanks x