UK Keratoconus Self-Help and Support Association

happy new year to everybody
hope you all had happy holidays and didnt get that drunk

anyway just an update
i am 8 weeks post graft now .. how time goes....
had a check up 2 weeks ago and consultant is happy with the graft and is pleased with how it looks and i am still on track to have the othe eye grafted so that is good aswell.
eye is still sore and flares up a good few times a day with watering redness, and omg it is so itchy. im not as light sensitive as i was but still need to wear my sunglasses sometimes i have no vision as such through the eye its still so blurry and as the other eye is so bad aswell im not legal to drive which is a pain !!
im one 'line' away on the chart from being classed as partially sighted with the good eye but as i dont wear any lenses and wear glasses within 7 months or so the glasses are not going to be any help for the good eye. as the keratoconus is quiute rapid as it was in the grafted eye.
im still not back at work which is also a pain as i go down to half pay next month !!
the cold weather really affects my eye as does warm air con it makes it feel really really dry oh and i cut an onion and my eye was still red and watering 4 hours later does anybody else get these things or is it just me. also if i get it wet it becomes really dry and sore and my visco tears dont seem to be helping at all.
anyway thats my update
take care all
nicola

Hi Nicola

Thanks for your update and happy new year to you too.

Not having had a graft I am no expert but from what you have said things seem to be heading in the right direction.

I am sure you will hear from our resident graftees shortly and I suspect they will confirm that most if not all of your symptoms are fairly normal.

Nicola

I'm at 11 and a half weeks.

The eye thing with onions should probably be avoided if possible. The onion juice forms a mild sulphuric acid on the surface of the eye, unpleasant at the best of times and possibly quire serious if you are recovering from surgery.

One way reducing the hazard from onions is to keep them in the fridge. The compounds that combine on the eye to make sulphuric acid are less volatile at low temperatures. Alternatively you could cut the onion under running water.

As to the rest, it seems you are having a bad time. I hope they let you back to work soon.

Yours aye

Andrew

The itchy feeling could be as a result of dry eyes. Especially as you mention problesm with temperature changes, cold weather and warm places.

Cold outside often has less hunmidity and in this wind really does dry out the eyes. Warm central heating is often quite dry too, so the itchy I think is probably dry eyes.

Wetting eye drops may be helpful for those situations or a cool flannel over your eyes.

Regarding onions, while taking the dry dead outer skin off, do it under cold water and then rinse the onion in running cold water. It then takes time for the voltile components to evaperate and get to your eyes.

what a good tip Gareth thanks, onions really hurt my eye, though much less in the eye with a lens