PROBLEM!! ANY IDEAS?

[JAREKANDRACH]

Hi everyone,

A bit of past info, jarek my partner had his graft done last Monday and it went really well and his eye is looking very well!!

He has a black patch on his operated eye to protect it from light as he cant stand it!! I have just recently put his contact lens in his other eye and he finds that he cant see hardly anything, for example tv and computer he has to squint to see!! This has got him very worried and we are just wondering if it is because he is not relying on his right eye to co operate with his left if you know what I mean- its so consfusing!!?

Wht should we do, does anyone have any advice???????

Rachel xx

[rosemary johnson]

SOrry to hear Jarek's having this problem. Hope you can gt it sorted out between you.
It didn't happen to me - when I put the left lens back in, could see roughly as well as I ever could (whch isn't brilliant).
Obvious thing to suggest: make sure you talk about this at the next post-op check-up - and make sure you get to see someone who can answer it, and isn't only concerned about the look of the graft.
A few quick thoughts:
was he given any tablets post-op? Drops would probably only affect the one eye (probably.... and so long as he didn't put them in the wrong eye by mistake as I did!!) but tablets, eg for lowering high eye pressure, could ahve affected the other eye too.
Is it possible he's actually been squinting quite a bit through his other, non-grafted eye, anyway, but not noticed it? - and it is now very obvious, because when he's screwing up the other eye to see out of, some of that muscular pressure gets echoed ithe grafted eye and amkes it sore, so he's ore aware of what he's doing?
(That happened, and is still happening to me - it there's anything that makes my grafted eye sore, it's trying to read out of the other one.)
can he actually see less, if he sits up with both eyes open and a hand over the grafted one, like at the opticians, or hospital, when they ask you to cover one eye and see how much you can read? COuld it be an "optical illusion" because he's used to having the grafted eye working, however much less of a contribution it is making than the other?
Is it possible, alternatively, that he's still feeling a bit woozy after the anaesthetic, and his brain is finding it harder than usual to make sense of the blurry imahes the eye is sending it?
Just a few thoughts...... please do raise it as a concern at the follow-up appointmnet.
Rosemary

[JAREKANDRACH]

Hi,
Thanks Rosemary for those ideas! He has an appointment on Wednesday morning with his consultant so I will raise the problem then!! Ithink I will need to raise it with his KC specialist who fitted his lenses in his left eye-

I think the main problem is that he's been in bed since last monday and hes not had his lenses in for long spells of time!!! Also it could be the anaesthetic still in his system- but I think its because before he had the gradt in the right eye he could see a little bit and his left eye worked with his right if u know what I mean!! May be this problem will solve itself when he starts seeing a little more with his right eventually but for the time being I think he will need a new lens for his left???? His hard lens costs 90 pounds ago and he has a spare but hes never had to pay anything yet- he has been very lucky!!!

Hes worried about getting back to work and not been able to see anything as he is joiner so depends on his eyes immensley!! Is there any help if he cant work for the time being as he cant see????

Thanks for listening and your support!! xxxxx

[Elizabeth Mair]

If Jarek is having problems because of his vision at work, he can get help through Access to work. His employer can either give him information, or alternately go and see an adviser at the local job centre who has all the forms. Lots of people with keratoconus have had help through this scheme eg special equipment, computer software, help with travel to work and even personal assistants.
It would be a good idea to get an Access to work assessment done before he goes back to work, so that anything that will help will get put in place soon.
Hope this helps.

[Lynn White]

Hi

You are right, its most likely down to not having the lenses in for a while and he may well need a refit. However, it might be wise to ring up the hospital and explain your concerns today, just for reassurance and to let them know there is a problem. It might be something they were expecting could happen, for instance, and have an explanation for it and then at least you could stop worrying. It is very difficult to guess what is happening from a distance without knowing all the circumstances!

I imagine he has time off for a while anyway because of the op? When is he expected back at work? It is really too early to be making contingency plans!!

[melissa]

i had my graft almost 3 weeks ago. i experienced some visual disorientation afterwards. my right eye was funnily the stronger eye (corrected) and that was the one i had the operation on. it took about 2 weeks for my brain to figure out what was going on, but it has now taken my vision from my left eye and is using that mainly, but also picking up bits from the grafted eye for judging distance. it is really amazing to me--- i do have a few bruises on my right side though...
generally i don't feel worse off than before the graft- which is amazing to me- i am even driving on the highway.
i do get some headaches though, but i suppose that is to be expected.
i hope it gets a bit better for jarek. I am not good at it- but patience is important. this coming week will show a lot of improvements.

[Andrew MacLean]

I see in another string that Jarek is Polish, but you do not say where you are. Elizabeth's comment about Access to Work would certainly apply if you were in the UK, but I am not sure what the situation would be in other jurisdictions, even within the EU.

But if you are in the UK, then a telephone call to the local 'Jobcentre Plus' would put Jarek in touch with all sorts of workplace support.

Andrew

[JAREKANDRACH]

Thanks for all the good replies,

Yes jarek is polish and we live in North Yorkshire, he has been living here for 2 years and now he's staying it was more sensible for him to have the op here!!!

Hes had his contact lens in his left eye today and uncovered his eye to light for the first time and has had it uncovered all day, he says he can see a little bit better when he has it uncovered!! We are going to the consultant on Wednesday so I will talk with him more then!!! But there has definitly been a big improvement in Jarek today- he says there is not as much pain today and he feels he can tolerate more!!!!

Im so happy it is getting stronger- every day is getting better and it feels such an achievement and Jarek is so pleased that he is finally getting his problem helped!!!!

xxx

[JAREKANDRACH]

Hi there,

Just to keep you all informed that we went to visit the consultant for jarek's check-up appointment this morning.

I voiced my concerns about his left eye not been able to cope with vision by itself even with contact lenses in- the consultant said that he thought this would occur so he is organising a soft lens fitting for his right eye to go on top of his stitches- he said this won't be for a couple of weeks as his eye needs to become stronger!! He is really happy after today as Jarek can see 4 lines clearly using the pin pointed cardboard thing to test your eyes.

He has changed his antibiotic drop to Excocin- in the brown box, he thought he was allergic to the other one as he has an itching sensation at night that drives him crazy- hence hearing and experiencing the quake last night!!

Other wise all is fine and healing well.
xx

[Andrew MacLean]

We didn't really feel the earthquake last night, or if we did, I didn't because I was fast asleep. If Jared's itchy eyes had you awake when it hit, how cool was that?!

Anyhow, the antibiotic that Jared is now using is broad spectrum

http://home.intekom.com/pharm/genop/exocin.html

I hope that this has the desired effect.

All the best

Andrew