UK Keratoconus Self-Help and Support Association

Went to Gartnavel today for my first lens fitting.
It was a very positive experience as:
1. The optometrist was very helpful and was able to tell me loads about the condition and my particular case.

2. The RGP lenses I tried were a good fit, I blinked a bit at first but it soon settled down. More to the point, I went immediately from 6/36 to 6/9. I could hardly believe it, it was crystal clear.

My lenses are now on order. I cannot wait to start with them.

I discovered that the distortion even on my most affected eye is mild and yet my symptoms of double vision and blurring without lenses is quite marked and cannot be easily explained by the surface distortion. The optom explained that sometimes the KC affects the back of the cornea or even the layers between. My brother has posteria KC so I wondered if I have some similar condition. I am very lucky though. My brother cannot wear lenses at all but I had no problems.
You guys know a lot more about this. Can anyone give me a quick run down on how KC affects different areas of the cornea.

Matthew

Thats excellent news!

With regards to your question relating to Corneal Layers.....

The difficulty of fitting corneal lenses lays around the shape of the corneal surface...the top layers....however irregular changes in the secondary layers do contribute to the cone effect......

Without boring you; the cornea is some 1/2mm thick and basically comprises of 5 layers (from the top down) epithelium, Bowman's membrane, stroma, Descemet's (sp!!) membrane and the endothelium....the front layer (epith) basically protects the front of the eye and dooes the job of protecting the lower layers......the Stroma (which has the largest content/makeup of Collagen; is an interface layer...the final layer Endothelium allows the cornea to pump out water and keep the cornea clear......KC can affect all of these surfaces to varying degrees...and this is why some KC sufferers get; for example, Hydrops and others dont?...its all dependent on the individual case...

HTH

Jay

No point adding to Jay's description of the cornea. Well done Jay, coherent and lucid!

Matthew, I know the wait seemed long, but I was sure that you would find the optometrists at Gartnavel very helpful. Well done. 6/9 is pretty good vision.

Andrew

Thanks very much for that. That really helps to visualise what's going on. Such a tiny part of your anatomy and yet vital! I just thought of the cornea as a kind of dumb lens which flexes for focus. Now it seems like an accurate machine, each layer doing its bit. The optom mentioned that the surface distortion does not always reflect the actual symptoms wholly. That is, it is more complicated than that. Although my KC is mild I cannot help but be curious about it all, so thank you for that enlightening information.
I am so lucky that my KC (at least for now) is simple in that it is so ammenable to the lenses. I have had soft lenses for a number of years and I think that helps with the tolerance. But to get 6/9, wow! It waslike being suddenly plunged into new world. On the way to the clinic, I had spent a couple of minutes screwing my eyes up to read a hospital sign. I realised eventually the sign was in arabic!
Thanks for your help.
ma'assalameh

Andrew,
Thanks you were right! The optom was great. So good to speak to someone who is enthusiastic and interested in your condition. Previous experience had been a bit dismissive because of low surface distortion I think.
But all is well...worth the wait, definitely!

Matthew,

It is partly how we adapt to the distortion.

I have been told in the past from the lenses used (be it contacts or glasses) from the shape of my eye I should not be able to see what I actually do!

This I put down to is the way by brain has adapted to interpretnig the blur especially as this time around the onset initially was a lot more gradual, over a period of a year and then a sudden three month down turn in vision which hopefuly has been stable for the past 2 years. Will no for definite by the end of the month when I next go for a check up.