UK Keratoconus Self-Help and Support Association

Went for my checkup today following recent hydrops occurence, which has ALMOST cleared up.

I still cannot read anything, only make out shapes from that eye, and they said the vision is unlikely to improve and so have put me on a waiting list for a graft.

I go to Nottingham, but they mentioned Bristol. Is Bristol where corneas are kept? Or is Bristol where you go for the op?

I am a bit down, as my vision is double for some reason while the hydrops finishes clearing, and I am really struggling to work in my desk job for 7.5 hrs a day.

Hi there, I think we can all simpothise with you on the double vision it does drive you nuts on a bad day I know. Bristol is where the cornea bank is as thats where my graft came from and was operated at my local eye unit. you are doing well to stick 7.5 hrs of work with the double vision so pat yourself on back it will get better.

Does the double vision stop once the hydrops has completely cleared? The wait for the graft wouldn't be so bad if I knew the double vision will stop soon! Mine is diagonal. i.e. if you look at the lines on a road, I see a second, cloudy set going off north-west.

Craig,

I think the double vision would once you brain starts to use the eye that had hydrops properly. That eye may have just become lazy due to such sudden impared vision.

Good to hear you are still improving and I hope the double vision clears soon.

Double vision can also be a result of the KC, so once you get to the point the vision can be corrected too, that may well help too.

Do you know if, post-op, they take the stitches out under general or local anaesthetic? If local, that scares me more than the op itself!

Craig,

If it is one or two stitches it is local and the sensation is not as bad as you think.

Using a slit lamp the doc will cut the stitch with a fine blade. Mine always has soothng music in the background so you can not hear the blade on the stitches. If you fel anything it will be as the stitch is removed, but it is so slight no pain was involved for me.

If quite a few are removed a general is used.

Reason local is used is to get an instant idea of how your vision has changed as a result of a stitch removed.

Absolutly nothing to worry about.

How on earth do they keep your eyeball still? Mine are sensitive enough, never mind if I see a blade coming towards them, no matter how small it is!

I am having a full rather than partial graft, so suspect more than a few stitches will be taken out each time

I had a full thickness graft and had a mixture of stitches - lots of individual ones and also a continuous stitch that went all the way round the graft. I had my continuous stitch taken out under local anaesthetic after it came undone one night, and it was a lot better than I thought it was going to be. Towards the beginning I also had 5 or 6 individual stitches taken out in one session, and again it wasn't that bad at all. I have really strong eye reflexes, so the doc had to hold my eye open whilst taking the stitches out.

Once you are looking through the slit lamp, you can not see the knife blade, you are more likely to feel the doc just pull your eye lids apart with the other hand.

Craig

I was like you,in that I could deal with the Op itself...but not the stitch removal! it scared the hell outa me! especially when I would read how it was done.....Head on Slit Lamp, keep eye open!......I mean...how you meant to keep the eye open when you see a blade coming towards you!..more over I cant even stand opticans putting a lens in my eye!...let alone having sutures removed......but it really isnt that bad!....Once the anasthetic drops have been put in, the Optham will hold up one of the lids....and tell you to look in a certain direction.....and you just do that.......you dont actually feel anything in itself....just a mild twang noise once a suture is removed......at least thats what I heard......

J