UK Keratoconus Self-Help and Support Association

Hi all

I'm new to this message board, but would like people's opinions as to whether diet affects the severity of Keratoconus and whether changes in diet can improve the condition. In particular, do changes to diet improve the change of survival of a corneal graft?

Thanks for your time

Tim

Hi Tim,

Welcome to the group. Have a look at this recent set of posts..

http://www.keratoconus-group.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3800&hilit=diet

Hope its what you're looking for

Ed

Hey timfleck

Welcome to the forum.

The straightforward answer to your question is Yes, I do think that died can have an influence on KC. I do not think that diet is a cause, but I am persuaded that it can have an influence on the rapidity of the progress of KC.

Andrew

Diet and any benefits or otherwise with KC is completly unproven.

How many times do you hear a certain food is good for you heart to hear a week later another study contradicts it.

We can only share experiences and what will work for one will fail another.

The biggest diet change I have made which helps is reducing anything that has ingredients that are also dieretics. I always drink at least 2 litres of water, cut out caffeine (althou I still indulge in chocolate), eat more natural foods, whole fruit instead of juice drinks and my diet is rich in rhiboflavin.

Since these changes lens wear is extremely comfortable and the KC has been stable for over three years. KC stability may be a coincidence because as we all know this condition can stabilise as quick as it can detereorate.

My advice is all things in moderation and eat as healthy as you can but avoid becoming fanatical about it.

Thank you all for all your replies. I noticed the other post after posting my original message, so I'm sorry to repeating something that's only recently been discussed. It's interesting to hear that, just like so many other conditions, dietary changes can improve keratoconus. I totally agree with the problems of conflicting evidence from statistical studies and I understand as a statistician myself how results can be misinterpreted. Too many studies include too few patients to enable the results to be meaningful. From reading other messages on the subject, it seems that doctors are reluctant to recommend alternative remedies/changes to diet and the more I hear about medical conditions the more importance I see that herbal/naturopathic practitioners can have.

You do not need to apologize for raising a question again; once a topic has fallen rom the front page it can be hard to find.

In fact, we ought to thank you for keepin an important topic "live".

Andrew