UK Keratoconus Self-Help and Support Association

Greetings to my fellow KC patients, graftees, those awaiting grafts and even those who cruised in here thinking that any group answering questions about KC must have the Kansas City Smokin' Hot Barbeque Festival in mind.

Any way, I have just this hour returned from a visit with my opthams. They had me read the Snelling chart, advised me that I had 20/50 in my graft eye.....then proceded to remove six of the remaining eight stitches. I'll be going back in three weeks to see the optham again, then an hour later, go down the hall to the Optometrist for a contact lens fitting. This will be with the miracle worker who kept me seeing this long without a graft and is the most patient and capable Optom. i have ever met.

Further, the Optham. said that following a contact fitting I should be able to get the left eye grafted in March!!

Now, remember, it was only late October that I had the first, right eye, graft......and the second is planned for March!! This is indeed the "fast track" schedule....

I will take a pic of the eye with two remaining stitches and post it ASAP in this thread and after it settles for a day or so I'll be better able to report on the visual accuity. They made it a point to tell me they were removing the tightest stitches and leaving the two which did not appear to be too tight. This was shown by a colored topographical photograph.

More as it develops.

Cheers, Piper

THAT is shocking! 3 months and all sutures bar two out!....Really impressive!..be good to see what you get refracted to

Good news Piper.

Six months between grafts I know is not the norm, but then people with KC needing a graft in both eyes is not the norm either.

My grafts were 12 months apart because it fitted with the summer break at Uni. A case of finish last exam, weeks rest before the graft so I had plent of time for it to heal before the next set of studies!

Piper!

That does seem like a lot of stitches out at once! LOL! But i am sure that they know what they are doing!!!

Best of luck with getting the second graft dated so soon!

Sweet X x X

These were TIGHT......and I could hear them in my head when they went. They put them on a tissue as I wanted to see them.....ya, sure, like a guy with a new graft and KC in the other eye is going to see them anyway..but I put on my reading glasses and managed to see the tiniest and faintest of shadows on the tissue, and these little things, totaling about 2.5 mm long were the stitches......simply amazing. The doctor who did this procedure said it was one that most people don't have as it is the most difficult of grafts.

I have thought it was a DALK, but perhaps was some offshoot of that. he stated that the reason was that the danger factors were lower and the long-term benefits were greater. Time will tell.

As for schedule, spring is better for me as the summer season in my shop is slower. I had the first graft in October, my busiest month, and my reciepts reflected the fact that I was not at my very best during that time.

No picture yet......but soon.

Piper

Here is a pic I just took. I think my eye is still a bit traumatized by today's procedure so it may not be as pretty as it will be tomorrow. The Doc said he left two stitches.....but I can only see one. Hmmm

Piper

another try



or just click this link:
http://www.forumpictureprocessor.com/pi ... 20left.jpg

*&(*&^%%$ computers!!!

Piper

Piper

They do not let the grass grow beneath their feet in American Ophthalmology! I followed you the next day, and I still have all 16 of my sutures, and do not expect to wave farewell to them for some months yet.

It will be interesting to compare our general progress over the years.

Are you still using any eye drops? I am supposed to administer Dexamethasone three times a day, in my recently grafted eye and prednisolone once every other day in my eye grafted in 2003.

Andrew

Andrew, I use prednasone 2x daily and an antibiotic 4x daily for three days following stitch removal.

That little bottle of antibiotic would balance comfortably on my index fintertilp, contains just enough for 4x for three days.....and cost more than a good bottle of Glen Fiddich!! There is no justice in the world!

Piper

I have never understood this sort of economics, but then I guess that your antibiotic eye drops are of more use than Glen Fiddich.

It is not recommended that you put any sort of Scotch into your eye.

Andrew