Hello

[El Chriso]

Hi all,
I'm a 23 year old male, who's been diagonsed with keratoconus for about 3 years. I don't wear any contact lenses yet but will be testing some out within the next few weeks... I've had a few eye problems recently and went to the eye hospital for tests which suggested that my eyes are healthy. For some reason i haven't asked my optician about a particular issue with my vision, but when in sunlight i get this glaze that moves from side to side when i look from side to side, its like black marks and transparent marks. Is this something related to keratoconus or something else?

I'm sorry if this is a bit of an obvious or strange question, it's just seeking assurance that i can't really get untill i next see the optician.

Thanks, chris

[GarethB]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

What you describe is what we often call 'floaters'. It seems that normally we do not see them but as we develop KC we develop an ability to see them. Probably due to the irregular astigmatism refracting the light in an abnormal way. So in your case in bright light the sun is being refracted in a way that these things become illuminated and you can see them.

To be honest they are not a problem and will not affect your ability to wear lenses. I have had KC for 20 years and always had these, my sight is perfectly manageable. To be honest wityh lenses in I loose the ability to see these floaters!

[El Chriso]

I see, thankyou for your help

I'll post again in a few weeks time when i've tried out the contact lenses and see how i get on wearing them.
Thanks again, Chris

[El Chriso]

Hi again,

Today i went to the opticians to try and get fitted with RGP lenses, i've never warn any type of lenses before and it was a really horrible experience. It was almost as though the optician had wedged 2 house bricks in my eye and was really painful when blinking, i couldn't even see anything. I think she chose 2 random lenses to start off with and try to work out lenses that will fit me comfortably. I've got another appointment booked on saturday morning where i'll try some more,.... to be perfectly honest i don't feel like going back, but my left eye has got to a stage where i have to wear lenses. The thing is, i hardly know whats going on at all, i don't really ask any questions. How are RGP lenses for other people? Did anyone have really bad experiences when first trying them on?

Thanks
Chris

[John Smith]

Chris,

Don't worry about it. RGPs are really horrible things at first, but trust me, your eye will get used to them.

They usually fit a dummy lens with little or no power at first, and then check your prescription in the spectacle frame.

Whilst your eyes are watering like a wrung flannel though, all the tears will make seeing anything very difficult. Just be patient though, and you will, I'm sure, get a decent pair of lenses that you find at least reasonably comfortable.

If you can't (and a few people never do) there are other options: "Rose K" type RGP lenses, softperms, piggybacking or sclerals, so don't lose hope.

Good luck on Saturday, and let us know how you get on.

[GarethB]

One reasone the lenses feel like bricks in your eye is because under normal circumstance we would not put large plastic discs in our eye.

The first time you have a lens in your eye, the eye does what comes naturally and that is to produce tears to wash the foreign body out of the eye.

Once you do get lenses that fit, yuo will have to build the wear time up, usually from 1 hour initially.

Fitting KC eyes is not easy, it is much a science as it is an art form and ofetn the fit/comfort is a compromise with a lens that will not fall out everytime you blink.

We are not called patients for nothing!

Lens fittings can ofetn take several return visits to find the best fit.