UK Keratoconus Self-Help and Support Association

At my consultation this Thursday (MREH Dr Cindy Troumans) the check up regarding a new type of rgp lens I am trying in one eye, the examination revealed crystalline deposits on the epitherium.

As I know I have dry eyes I did ask if I could use systane with the lens and was informed this was OK.

In the one month trial period I managed to get continuous wear time up to 11 hours but only managed this using the systane. Put a drop in eye every couple of hours when working in air con room and when using vdu.
Also drinking 2 litres of water during the working day.

Photographs were taken of the eye for record/further research purposes, with my permission as this has never been seen before at MREH.

I have been instructed not to use the systane anymore or wear the lens until its established was is causing the problem and the epitherium has healed itself and removed the crystals deposits. I have another appointment in two weeks time.

Initial optom thoughts , which to me seem the most likely is that it is the systane, the chemicals in it evaporating due to heat build up through the rubbing/friction caused. Like when salt crystal deposits remain when salt water evaporates.

Anyone else come across this?

The good news/positive development is that, at last, they are now looking at sorting out my dry eye problem.

I was provided with a tube of Viscotears liquid gel to try out to use for my dry eyes.

This leads me to raise the questions:-

1. Do KCers have dry eyes and could this be the cause of why eye rubbing predominates?

Could the the sequence of events which creates KC be:-

Dry eyes>eye rubbing>KC

I will put this KC cause/dry eye issue on another thread for discussion as this is a systane thread.

The cause of keratoconus is unknown. There have been many theories based on its association with other conditions but no theory explains any significant percentage of the keratoconus patients. Microscopic changes appear to occur first in a single cell layer of the epithelium (Teng). It is suggested that enzymes released by this degenerating cell layer cause a breakdown of other layers of the cornea. The degenerating cells become pale and swollen, and the cells become less organized (Leibowitz and Lawless). These cells eventually disappear, leaving one or two superficial epithelial cells (McPherson).

I never used Systane, preferring hypermelose during the day and carbomer gel at night. The problem with all artificial tears is that they lack the complex structure of natural tears.

I have heard of people with KC and dry eyes benefiting from surgery to plug the ducts that drain tears from the eye; it seems that dry eye may not be a result of a failure to produce sufficient tears, but a result rather of the natural drainage of tears from the eye being too efficient.