UK Keratoconus Self-Help and Support Association

So i went to Sutton Eye Units contact clinic yesterday after demanding an appointment as my latest 'improved vision' lens in my left eye was totally unwearable, despite giving me a tantalising glimpse of pretty sharp vision.

(Brief backstory on my k, my right eye is very steeped but i have a lens that gives good vision however often rubs eye and have to have breaks, left eye not so bad but lens is (was) totally comfortable but doesn't give as gd vision..typical)

The specialist immediately suggested we move onto piggybacking, and after going through the motions etc right eye definetly more comfortable. However he said the new left lens fit was fine and that i should use it from now on. However after only a few hours of mild discomfort i just couldnt keep it in and had to revert to my old, poorer vision but comfortable lens.

Having never taken out soft lenses before it was a bit of a struggle but i thought i had got them both out last night. However this morning something didnt feel right after putting in RGPs and after a few hours i managed to fish out the soft lens i had left in me left eye. Now the eye feels peculiar.

Are there any tips or tricks to piggybacking lenses? And i understand the issues with leaving one in overnight, is it likely to have caused any lasting damage or should the peculiar feelings subside? I understand that change in prescription can affect the fit of RGPs too, im pretty adamant that this new left lens just wont stay in without extreme discomfort, the 'expert' seems to think it will..does anyone have any advice or experience with this situation?

THanks for any help in advance, i find i have weeks were lenses work fine and i dont even think too much about keratoconus, then it all goes balls up, very frustrating.

You are obviosly concerned about having a soft lens left in overnight and now have an odd sensation to the eye.

As such you would probably benefit from playing it safe and going down to the eye casualty.

From my experience they rather we go and have a 'wasted journey' to find there is nothing to worry about.

If there is a problem and you leave it a couple of days, resolving it can be more complex.

Unable to help regarding piggybacking.

I presume these are corneal lenses (c. 8mm diameter) you are piggybacking with?
I've been piggybacking but with RFP sclerals (24mm diameter).
NOrmally, the soft lens comes out inside the scleral, stuck together, and I just separate them.
Occasionally, it doesn't - or it flips out over the eyelid and gets on te kitchen floor. Then I have a mad panic, either trying to get it out of the eye or else to find it fallen on the kitchen floor (s I know it isn't in the eye after all).
It has been stuck in for a few hours, and the eye has felt pretty odd afterwards, but never so long as overnight...... yet.
THough generally, the odd-feeling eye is more from the many attempts to stick my fingers in the eye to get out a soft lens that is, after all, sitting on the ironing board not in the eye at all!!!!
I really can understand the panic about losing it though - I've been leaping around the flat going crazy over the silly things before now when I can neither get them out nor find them on the floor, etc.
SOmetimes I've found that putting the scleral back it sticks them together again, so the soft lens comes out when I remove the scleral again.
Fortunately (????) my eyes are so steep that a soft lens won't sit in place properly without the scleral on top, so there is generally a bit sticking up somewhere and sometimes I can catch in on an eyelid.
Errrm..... I should say, the eye I have left is so steep, and the one that that grafted *was* when I was piggybacing in it pre-graft.
THe grafted eye nows sees sufficiently at 3" range to be able to see there is a soft lens edge or ridge in the mirror, so the last few times it has stuck I have been able to tell it is there definitely )not on the floor after all) ... which SOMETIMES makes grabbing it a tad easier.
I've also found recently that a drop of lubricating eye drops in the eye with the soft lens stuck can sometimes lubricate it enough for it to slip out more easily.
The odd feelings from having the soft lens stuck in - and the fingers trying to poke it out - have generally gone after a few ohours or the next days.
Hope this makes sense. SOrry it isn't any more helpful, but at least, you aren't alone here.
Rosemary

thanks for the advice, i think the drop of lubricating solution should help, been resting my left eye as much as possible, still feels a bit odd but i think it should be ok, the new lens that was very uncomfortable seems to work better in there now, not quite sure how that works..... just have to get used to this piggyback business i guess

Piggybacking does take a bit of getting used to!

Glad to know things are settling down a bit now.

All the best

Andrew