UK Keratoconus Self-Help and Support Association

I will shortly be going to Moorfields to get a prescription for glasses.

At the moment i am getting a maximum of 8 hours daily lens wear and often less and hopefully I can get some sort of vision out of glasses.

Afterwards I have an appointment in the contact lens department and hopefully they will be able to come up with lenses which I can get on with.

My question is this, to get an accurate reading, should I keep my lenses out before my visit and if so for how long?

Hi Michael,

I suggested to my last specialist (when I was still down in Sussex) that I was looking to get a prescription for glasses so that I could cut down on my Softperm usage - wearing the specs in the evenings and such when my vision wasnt so critical.

She always suggested not wearing the lenses for at least 24-48 hours before the appointment because of the affect the rgp's have on the shape of our corneas.

However, after thinking about this later (and again now) if you're looking to put specs on minutes after taking your lenses out, surely your corneas would be in a post-lens shape anyway, flattening out as the hours pass.

I'm hoping somebody here has a good answer to this one and otherwise it may turn into a chicken/egg problem. I for one am sitting here doing a laurel and hardy head scratch

Michael

You need to contact the optom and take their advice.

It depends what you are getting fitted up for.

My optom told me if I want glasses to use instead of lenses then I need to go at least 24 hours without lenses.

If the glasses are to use after I have taken lenses out, then I need to go with lenses in.

This is beacuse of the same reasons Eddie pointed out. Although RGP's don't push the cornea back into shape as such, the weight of the lens does have an affect.

If the glasses are to give the lens correction extra boost, then you will probably have to wear the lenses too.

For a lens refit or check, I know my hospital insists the lenses must have been in for at least an hour so my lens and glasses appointments are always a week a part.

All we can do here is speculate which can be a dangerous thing.

Thanks Gareth and Eddie.

Your comments match my thoughts on this.

I think I will wear my lenses as normally as I can until the appointment so that I get the best vision for the occasions when I take my lenses out and I can always have a second sight test if I think there is any point.

This will also be better for my visit to the contact lens clinic afterwards.
.
Thanks again

Hi Michael
Me give you advice? Never!!

I think the others have really covered all aspects - but - if I were in your shoes, I think I would leave my lenses out for 48 hours. After all, if for any reason you can't wear your lenses you will want the best vision possible for your game of golf
But it does rather depend what you need glasses for. Having had your cataracts done are you looking to be able to read better - with your lenses in? Or is it for distance vision? Or something different when you have no lenses in? Just food for thought..

Or have I got too technical for you (he he!) ................ ?:roll:

Thank you for that Pat!

My last pair of glasses must be 20+ years old and whilst they gave me a little vision before the cataracts were done ( A slight
improvement when watching tv) they are now totally uselesss.

I would love glasses to give me good vision but my hope is that the new glasses will at least enable me to watch tv after I have taken my lenses out so I can sit on my settee instead of sitting with my nose pressed up against the screen!