UK Keratoconus Self-Help and Support Association

Hey guys, first of all, let me say how glad I am I found this forum, browsing it has answered a lot of my questions and confusion.

I'm a 20 year old that recently got diagnosed with KC. One eye was barely showing any signs and still had 20/20 vision while the other could barely see at all until I got a contact lens. My doctor urged me to get collagen cross linking and I was scheduled to get it this month. But I'm starting uni again just a few days after and it seemed like the recovery would be really disruptive to my studies. I rescheduled the surgery to November which is over 4 months away. I was wondering whether that is too far away? I'm a bit of a hypochondriac and I'm worried that the disease would progress to a point after 4 months where I would need a corneal graft instead of cross linking. Has there ever been any cases of KC that progresses that fast? Or am I just worrying about nothing?

Sorry guys, I get really nervous when it comes to my eyes, thanks for reading.

Hi

I think it would be highly unlikely to go from near 20/20 vision to the need of a transplant in November. The eye perhaps may change slightly if anything, however we are all different with KC and there is a good chance the eye may not even change.

I was looking at crosslinking 2 years ago, however i now have good lens and have put off the idea. Dont think my eyes have changed massively either.

My Advise would be to hold off cross linking and see whether your vision in your good eye becomes worst over a 6-12 month period. I wouldnt be 100% certain of the long term certaintly of cross linking but i could be wrong.

Thanks

Is it the good eye that is down for crosslinking, or the worse eye? With crosslinking, the cornea needs to be 400 microns or more in thickness, so the main thing is whether it's still quite a bit above that. If it is, then it's unlikely to progress quickly in a few months. Were you told what your topography readings were? Do check with your specialist if you're in doubt.
Good luck
Anne

Thanks so much for the fast replies! I should have been more clear, it's the bad eye that I'll be getting a cross linking for. I'll ask my specialist, thanks!