UK Keratoconus Self-Help and Support Association

In June my optician at St James Hospital took away my RGPs after 3 years of unsuccessful fittings. Since then I've been getting away with wearing glasses. I often get a dull headache by the end of a days work, but figure this is less painful then constantly sore, itching and blood-shot red eyes.

I'm off skiing in the New Year and its only just occurred to me that unlike last year, I won't have any contacts to wear under my goggles. Also, because I'm relying on the NHS system there is zero chance of getting an appointment/contacts prior to my trip so looking for a way of self medicating the problem.

Do you think its worth me trying the bog-standard soft contacts on the basis that even a slight improvement in vision will be better than nothing?

Rich
I'm waiting for my first RGP lenses from the hospital so am relying on soft ones at the moment - glasses don't help me at all. I'm using special thicker lens which my local (independant) optician obtained for me - it's made by Ultravision & is called "Igel select sphere". My optician only took a couple of days to get this lens for me. It might be worth a try? It's not brilliant but it is at least (just) bringing me up to DVLA standard for day time driving.
Ordinary daily disposables didn't help me at all as they are too thin. Hope that is of some help? Enjoy your skiing!

Pat

As Pat says, off the shelf lenses generally don't work as they are too thin. The thicker soft lenses she is talking about would be a better bet but even then, you may have too much astigmatism for them to be of any use. You can get bespoke toric softs but you are really stretching it to get these before you go away.

You need to get to see an optom really quickly if you have any chance of getting something to see with while you are skiing!

Lynn

Nothing to add, wxcept that I wish you a very good skiing trip.

all the best

Andrew

Thanks for the tips! I tried calling a handful of opticians yesterday regarding the Igel contacts without luck.

Resorted to calling the Hospital again and explained the constant headaches behind my right eye and thankfully I've managed to get an appointment next week. I'm going to push them hard so that they consider fitting another set of contacts.

If all else fails, at least I will be able to blame KC rather than my skiing abilities when I undoubtedly collide into that tree.

Have a good Xmas!

I used to go cross country skiing. Without my lenses it was hard to tell whether I was skiing up to another person, or a tree, or a post or a figment of my imagination. at least I was never travelling too fast, and I did have a far more interesting time than everybody else.

all the best at the hospital clinic.

Andrew