Graft Questions

[Bonnie Van]

Hi there everyone. I'm new to this site. I know it's for those in the UK, but I'm not finding any support groups in the USA, so I find myself turning to a group like yours.

I had a graft on February 21. It's so far been very successful, but I am finding that my eye swells very easily and leaves me in quite a bit of pain. Also, if I do happen to do any physical activity I am very exhausted for the rest of the day.....sometimes even into the next day.

I have also found myself wishing I had never had the graft done.

I have a lot of questions concerning the aftermath of having this surgery done.

For those of you who have also had a graft done, have you ever regretted having the procedure done? When did the swelling go down permanently, and how long did you have to use the anti-rejection drops? How long did you have the stitches in?

Thanks for your help and support.

Bonnie

[Knight]

Welcome and congratulations on finding us, I hope we all can help you ...

It depends which kind of graft you had done, as that will influence the length of time you will recover, need to take the drugs and probably have the stitches in as well. So I don't really wish to comment on what you could expect, althou I'm sure some one else might, but more information; which eye drops are you taking, the type of corneal graft you had done and the type of stitches you have, will help ... then we can give you more reliable information.
But in general, as for the swelling ... I've had a graft DALK and I know a few other people that have had other forms of grafts and never had swelling, but it's not uncommon to get swelling from the eyelids and should settle down within a few weeks. So, I'm unsure if thats normal or just luck, but I'm wondering if by swelling you mean pressure in the eye (IOP) that I have heard people call 'swelling' before which can and does happen depending on the eye drops you're taking and the sort of physical activity that you're doing and sometimes other medical conditions too - because you're not supposed to strain yourself after a graft, bend or lift anything much more than 10lbs for a while as it can mess with the eye, graft and pressures.

As for regrets, nope, not at all. Having the graft is a last resort, I could no longer wear lenses so was at the point of next to blind in that eye, so I didn't think of it as an option but as the only available course of action - so regrets I haven't even thought about, because the eye sight, any improvement is 100% better than what it was before!
Personally, regarding the stitches, I have been informed (might) stay in there for good - which can happen with many grafts - because the sight is already very good and removing stitches can affect the eye sight, if any are to come out (I have 10 interrupted "zigzag" running stitches) wont happen until the 2 months mark with me, which is in about two weeks the date of my next visit to the corneal clinic...
Hmmm, as for the swelling, like I said, there was none, althou if its a concern go back to your clinic and have it checked out just to be sure.

Hope that helps, but with more information we'll be able to suggest and give you better feedback...

[GarethB]

Welcome to the forum.

In the UK we are generally advised to back of any physical exercise that will increase blood pressure which will also change the pressure in the eye.

18 years ago things were different, just advised to avoid heavy lifting because the change in pressure it causes in the eye.

The fact you have been doing exercise might be reason for the swelling and discomfort.

I am glas I had both my grafts and the swelluing only lasted a few days and the anti-rejection drops were only used for a couple of months. That was 18 years ago and never had any rejection problems.

Sounds like for peace of mind you perhaps need to visit the clinic for a check.

Regards

Gareth

[Bonnie Van]

Thanks for some of the answers you've given me. And also for the welcome.

To clarify at little bit, I had a full corneal transplant. It was necessary because I was almost blind in my left eye.

My doctor and I had tried everything to help restore the sight in that eye, but nothing worked. So I had no alternative but to have the surgery.

The swelling I've had problems with is in the eye lid. It seems if I watch too much tv, or spend too much time on my computer it will swell.

Because I'm physically disabled, I am not able to do much as far as excercise. But I do try to drive short distances to nearby stores. I am trying not to depend on my boyfriend or anyone else, so I want to be able to get out and do my own shopping. Plus it's something I love to do.

I guess I'm getting really discouraged because I expected to be feeling so much better by now. I had another minor surgery only a month before this one, so I've been couped up for quite awhile.

Oh.....one last thing. The eye drops I'm using are called EconoPred. It's a prednisone based drug.

I hope this clarifies any questions you may have had.

[GarethB]

The eye does dry out if you look at a TV screen or computer monito for long periods as the blink rate goes down so reducing the irrigation of the eye with tears.

As the eye surface drys, the stitches may be drying too, so rubbing against the inside of the eye lid and cause the swelling. A similar thing can happen with contact lenses and is remedied using artificail tears or lubricating eye drops.

Stitches can break and also rub the inside of the eye lid.

In remote cases it is possible to have an allergic reaction to stitches.

In all cases as your are so soon post graft a vistis to the surgeon will give peace of mind and recomend the most appropriate course of action.

Regards

Gareth

[Andrew MacLean]

Bonnie!

Welcome

I had my graft in december 2003. My last sutures came out (apart from oen tht clings tenatiously to my eye) in July 2005. I am still using steroid drops.

I have never regretted the surgery, but I had waited until I was legally blind before having surgery. I guess we all know how frustrating the long recovery can be.

Andrew

[Asif]

Hi Bonnie

I am now 8 months post graft, having a PK myself. My eye after the graft did not swell up but was red, which went away after 3-4 weeks. For the first few weeks it was difficult as my vision did not improve significantly and because of thye cloudiness/light sensistivity but was very early days.

My vision does tend to fluctuate significantly throughout the day, mainly better in the morning and gets worse later on in the day. I have recently been refracted 8 months post graft and am able to acheive 6/6 corrected and 6/36 uncorrected. 4 weeks post op being refracted would make no difference to my VA, it was the same uncorrected as corrected. My graft still hasnt settled as my vision still fluctuates through out the day.

As for steroid/anti-rejection drops I was using dexamethasone with chloramphenocol, both 4 times a day for the first 2 months, but my IOP has risen from 16 to 22 because of the steroid drops so was put on a weaker steroid drop, prednisolone, for the next 2 months 3 times a day. Now I am using FML which is even weaker than prednisolone, twice a day.

As for regrets, I do not regret having the graft done as I was in a position where it was the last resort, as with many others, so any improvement would have made it worth while. It does take a long time for a graft to settle and hopefully gain improvement in vision, so we all just have to play the waiting game.

Take your drops on time, dont do anything too strenuous (eg heavy lifting), watch out for any possible rejection episodes and hopefully it will settle soon and your vision may get better.

Hope that helps

Asif

[jayuk]

Bonnie

Whether you are in USA, Australia or China, you are more than welcome to post!; above all! The most important thing is You have EYES and so do WE and I would suspect they function in the same way lol

As far as regretting having a Graft, I have never regretted having mine as I had very little to lose NOT having it. I had exhausted all options and basically had no tangible vision from it for around 12-15 months.

The swelling aspect can take upto 6 months to regress.....so please do bear that in mind. I can understand why you may be regretting having it done; but please bear in mind that the recovery period can be as long as 18+ months. However, usually many see a marked improvment at the 8-12 months mark!

Hope that helps!

J