To intact or not to intact thats the question (year 2008)

[Andrew MacLean]

I am afraid that OK for some and not OK for others is the curates egg of all KC treatments. Even each type of lens is 'okay for some and not ok for others', so with CCL/CXL, INTACS etc.

All the best

Andrew

[Michal]

I have read different things here on intacts. People speak of lights, shapes and some can even see the intact in the eye. Like you, I depend mostly on one eye (the left eye) I want an intact in the right but at this time I dont have the time and can't take the risk and agro of it. I hope that technology in intcats may advance in the years to come? that may happen!?

It is very tricky. I do have intacs in both of my eyes but I kind of regret that I did the second eye (yet, as both surgeries were done respectively 4 months and just 2 weeks ago).

First one was done on the much worse eye (0.05 / 5% vision - not sure how to work it out into that xx/xx scale) and a day after the surgery my vision was pretty much the same. It slightly improved over the weeks but I still experience all of those "halo" effects etc so the difference is barely noticeable. I nearly got rid of my astigmatism so I should be able to correct my vision better with contact lenses or even glasses at some point. So far, so good but nothing spectacular, really.

The other eye was the better one, ten times better than the worse one - the one I was relying on all the time. I was really hoping to get at least the same results, to get rid of the astigmatism and be able to correct my vision better later on. Surprisingly, after the surgery my vision kind of collapsed and now I am struggling to see anything. My vision is even worse than it the other eye (!) - how weird is that. Doctors did some checks and said it is weird but all right and it must be my brain that messes everything up not knowing what to do with a vision without distortions etc. It clearly looks better on paper.

So yeah, it is all tricky and completely different in different cases (I am in touch with another guy with intacs in both eyes and he is doing much better than me). The truth is that there is nothing much we can do other than trying whatever is possible and hope that it will get better at some point.

[cclman]

I have read different things here on intacts. People speak of lights, shapes and some can even see the intact in the eye. Like you, I depend mostly on one eye (the left eye) I want an intact in the right but at this time I dont have the time and can't take the risk and agro of it. I hope that technology in intcats may advance in the years to come? that may happen!?

It is very tricky. I do have intacs in both of my eyes but I kind of regret that I did the second eye (yet, as both surgeries were done respectively 4 months and just 2 weeks ago).

First one was done on the much worse eye (0.05 / 5% vision - not sure how to work it out into that xx/xx scale) and a day after the surgery my vision was pretty much the same. It slightly improved over the weeks but I still experience all of those "halo" effects etc so the difference is barely noticeable. I nearly got rid of my astigmatism so I should be able to correct my vision better with contact lenses or even glasses at some point. So far, so good but nothing spectacular, really.

The other eye was the better one, ten times better than the worse one - the one I was relying on all the time. I was really hoping to get at least the same results, to get rid of the astigmatism and be able to correct my vision better later on. Surprisingly, after the surgery my vision kind of collapsed and now I am struggling to see anything. My vision is even worse than it the other eye (!) - how weird is that. Doctors did some checks and said it is weird but all right and it must be my brain that messes everything up not knowing what to do with a vision without distortions etc. It clearly looks better on paper.

So yeah, it is all tricky and completely different in different cases (I am in touch with another guy with intacs in both eyes and he is doing much better than me). The truth is that there is nothing much we can do other than trying whatever is possible and hope that it will get better at some point.

Michal I hope they get better soon!! Its seems to me with intacts its a total gamble, they get beter, stay the same or get worse . After cclx/cxl my right seems is worse and my left eye better. I find its better not to wear glasses now when reading or typing on the PC!! I think by prescription has changed. To watch TV now I sit in front of the TV!!!! Perhaps this whole game of playing with bad eyes is not such a good idea?? or maybe it takes time to restore to the same c**p level it was before the treatment??

[Michal]

Perhaps this whole game of playing with bad eyes is not such a good idea?? or maybe it takes time to restore to the same c**p level it was before the treatment?? :oops: :mrgreen:

It is a matter of time, definitely. After all, it is not that easy as a quick laser surgery where the cornea is completely differently shaped straight after the surgery. X-linking / intacs surgery is just the first step from which the whole process starts, I believe. Progress depends of our abilities. I could write here that it was not worth all the hassle because I see pretty much the same before the surgeries (or even worse, to be honest) at this very moment *but* I just feel (literally) how my brain and eyes are fighting and struggling all the time to find me a way to see better. It is amazing (despite the fact they are doing pretty bad so far ;-))!

In my case, and it is still very early, I got rid of most of my astigmatism straight away in both of my eyes so I will definitely be able to correct my vision better later on and this is just the beginning.

Keep your head up.