UK Keratoconus Self-Help and Support Association

Hi

I wonder if anyone can help me.

For as long as I can remember, I have always had a strong dislike of bright lights – camera flashes, car headlights etc. I know this is a common problem for people with Keratoconus.

However, I find that when I am outside in either sunlight or reasonably bright light, if I don’t wear my sunglasses – I get a ‘shimmering’ effect over my eyes. It is not really painful, but not very pleasant. This is different to my dislike of bright lights. The shimmering is like what you see when you look at the heat haze coming off a radiator.

I have had this problem for a while and manage by living in sunglasses. However, it dawned on me that other people can walk around without sunglasses on all the time and maybe this is not normal! I wonder if anyone else has this problem?

Hope this makes sense.

Thank you
Rachael

I am afraid that "photophobia", as it is called, is one thing with which most people with Keratoconus seem to live.

We all wear sunglasses; I add to this a rather stylish broad brimmed hat

All the best

Andrew

it was once explained to me that a KC cornea has 'stretch marks'... which spray the light and create fireworks of halos and starbursts. obviously these effects are more noticeable at night, but i suppose they could be noticeable during the day too. I never go outside without sunglasses- and they are DARK- Roy Orbison type wraparound polarised sunglasses... i have also been known for wearing them around the office... but my office is in South Africa, with floor to ceiling windows on all sides...
i can deal with stretch marks on my eyes-- but the day i get cellulite I am giving up!