Lens after graft

[Val G]

What sort of time have folks waited to be fitted with a lens after stitch (continuous) removal?

[GarethB]

I was luck that after all sutures that could be removed were I soon went to glasses. From my observations it seems that the doctors are more cauteous than when i had mine done. They wait until you have three refractions that are about the same.

The number of people that ned lenses after suture removal is about the same as those who wear glasses. You may never go back to lenses or it could be many years. It was 18 years before i needed to wear lenses again. The most part I had to wear glasses.

[Gareth2]

Hi val,
well my specialist has said once i am at 12 months post graft and then they start to take stitches out, we will be looking to fit a lens on the grafted eye. as i have a flat cornes which is good so he said last visit. next visit is on feb 22nd, can't wait.

[Val G]

I don't know if you remember I also have a flat cornea. I'm deperate to have my stitch out as it has been loose for a while. This has been causing concern and is preventing me from working, I have been off a week now. I have been advised to wait until my clinic appointment on 23rd. My vision has been so bad the last few months that I have been struggling and now feel completely run down.
I'm trying not to expect miracles when the stitch is removed but I think I am making myself ill trying to work with my vision like this.

[Pat A]

Val
Hope you are OK - unfortunately I don't know anything about having stitches out - but the fact that you're up at this time in the morning suggests it is worrying you a lot.
I know what it's like being off work - it does make you run down and fed up - I've been off for c.4 months now! (and I can't sleep either!)

Take care

Pat

[GarethB]

Val,

When all my stitches were taken out my right eye wasleft with a flat cornea and glasses were OK. Lens was a bit thick initially, but as years went on and high light weight refractive materials became cheaper so the lens got thinner.

My left eye is flat cornea now and at a push I could wear glasses and be legal to drive, but as i need a lens in the right it would leave me unbalanced vision which is why I use lenses in both eyes to maintain balanced vision.

Once the stitches come out the corneal shape can change which is when mine ended up flat. It can go the other way and bulge out more than the flat surface you have once the tension of the stitches is removed.

It is extremely hard to predict, as all things KC, it is the frustrating position of wait and see, which is why menay wat until you have three consecutive refractions before prescribing glasses or lenses.