Post-graft options (oh, and 'hi!')
Posted: Tue 09 Mar 2010 2:43 pm
Hi folks
First post having only recently discovered the forum, great resource you've got here.
Bit of background... Diagnosed with KC in my mid teens, have since had grafts in both eyes (1993 and 2000). The first (left) one's not great - pupil's permanently dilated after the surgery and the level of correction achieved using high-ish index glasses lens still isn't good enough to read a book or computer screen from anything other than a couple of inches. The right one on the other hand I've been incredibly fortunate with. A low prescription lens gets me 20/20 vision.
I'm wondering whether to give contact lenses another blast in the hope of improving vision in my left eye to some degree, and hopefully also the night vision in my right. I never tried contact lenses before the grafts, and really don't suffer them very well - I did have a couple of fittings with the optometrist at the hospital (RVI, Newcastle) several years back but just couldn't get to grips with the hard lens. That's probably as much my lack of willpower and discipline as much as anything else, but always having had one 'really good eye' probably made taking the easy option of glasses too attractive.
So, first question, has contact lens technology moved on much in the last 4-5 years?
I never managed to build up much time with the lenses in - I've got fairly dry eyes, hayfever in summer, mild eczema in winter, excuses coming out of my ears really! I much preferred the *idea* of soft lenses but I think the consensus was that the level of astigmatism in the left eye was too great to correct via anything other than RGP. I can see there are some hybrid lenses now, are these likely to be any more comfortable to wear? Are they widely available in the UK?
Possibly a daft final question - but things do change - is laser correction ever an option after a corneal graft?
Cheers
First post having only recently discovered the forum, great resource you've got here.
Bit of background... Diagnosed with KC in my mid teens, have since had grafts in both eyes (1993 and 2000). The first (left) one's not great - pupil's permanently dilated after the surgery and the level of correction achieved using high-ish index glasses lens still isn't good enough to read a book or computer screen from anything other than a couple of inches. The right one on the other hand I've been incredibly fortunate with. A low prescription lens gets me 20/20 vision.
I'm wondering whether to give contact lenses another blast in the hope of improving vision in my left eye to some degree, and hopefully also the night vision in my right. I never tried contact lenses before the grafts, and really don't suffer them very well - I did have a couple of fittings with the optometrist at the hospital (RVI, Newcastle) several years back but just couldn't get to grips with the hard lens. That's probably as much my lack of willpower and discipline as much as anything else, but always having had one 'really good eye' probably made taking the easy option of glasses too attractive.
So, first question, has contact lens technology moved on much in the last 4-5 years?
I never managed to build up much time with the lenses in - I've got fairly dry eyes, hayfever in summer, mild eczema in winter, excuses coming out of my ears really! I much preferred the *idea* of soft lenses but I think the consensus was that the level of astigmatism in the left eye was too great to correct via anything other than RGP. I can see there are some hybrid lenses now, are these likely to be any more comfortable to wear? Are they widely available in the UK?
Possibly a daft final question - but things do change - is laser correction ever an option after a corneal graft?
Cheers