UK Keratoconus Self-Help and Support Association

I had my 6 month post-DALK check-up yesterday. Things are progressing well, but slightly slower than originally hoped.

For those who remember that I had an odd DALK without a epithelium (front layer of the cornea), the healing process is slightly more complicated.

My consultant explained that the new epithelium cells are formed in the eye corner near the nose, and then slowly migrate onto the cornea. Well, the stitches are impeding this progress, and circular vortices are forming around each stitch. Most of the cornea is now covered to the required thickness, but there is an odd-shaped patch which is not.

That said, when looking at the projected eye charts, I could see the big "E" clearer unaided from my DALK eye than I could unaided through the PK eye. I found that quite exciting!

However, I can't see much more... but got to the third projected screen through the pinhole, so I guess that would be around the 6/24 or 6/18 mark.

He intends to keep the stitches in for another 6 months, and then hopes to see a great improvement.

In other news, he (Chad Rostron) has now been given ethics approval to start a trial comparing regular C3R against C3R with orthokeratography(?) where a rigid contact lens is used to help to mould the cornea into a better shape during the UV process. The hopes are that a decrease in KC of more than the usual 1 dioptre will be seen.

John

Are the hoping that your epithelium will have grown back around the sutures before they start taking them out?

Andrew

John,

Hoping that when the stitches are taken out it all heals as it should! It is good that you see better unaided though that is a good start!!

Andrew,

No, the new cells are actually gathered round the sutures - they are gathered in great big circles around them!

The idea is that by removing the stitches the cells will flow evenly over the cornea.

But as Sweet said, it is good that things are certainly improving. It's a long, slow road, but there should be good vision at the other end. Hopefully.

John

Looks like progress.....although slower...but def good news...you must be happy!

J

Progress slow or fast is good news in my book.

Good news John! Do you have any pics of the vortices?

And 6/18 is not bad at all, so progress indeed!

Lynn

Continued good recovery to you John

What you mentioned about the "OK" lenses seemed interesting, they tried this method to gain more regression and "fix" it, in Germany, and it did not work. However it's good to double check!!

The only thing is, isn't "OK" lenses a contradiction to KC? Its said to have health problems even for "normals" who its designed and used by... load bearing on a cone can not be a good thing with this extreme way to flatten the cornea for a day or two, repeatedly.

A couple of millimeters of cornea sticking out thats all we are talking about sometimes!!