Hi everyone this is my first post,i am currently 1 week post cornea graft op so i thought it could be helpful to tell everyone about my experience with KC.
I first realised i was shortsighted in my right eye when i was 16 (9 years ago),with slight astimatism i was told. This was no problem, just had to wear specs and soft lenses.Went to sixth form then onto leeds uni and got a degree in chemistry. June 2004- Quite strange because my glasses "weren't working" anymore, the vision was hardly any different with them on but i put this down to them being comprehensively scratched as my vision with the lens in was fine. Was too tight to get some more specs so i wore the lens exclusively until after a few months when they were not improving my vision. Keratoconus i was told from the optician. So i couldn't wear specs cause of the shape of my cornea which was now reflecting light everywhere apart from through the specs and for the same reason soft lenses, the lens wasn't moulding around the cornea it was like putting something flat on top of a cone, there is all the space between the side of the cone(cornea) and the flat surface of the lens which the reflected light escapes. It is not 'concentrated' through the lens. Anyway they now gave me rigid lenses to try. "You must try and build up tolerance" i was told, are you joking, the lens resided in the bottom half of my eye and everytime i blinked it was pulled over the middle of my eye giving perfect vision for half a second then back down.It was fine if you sat with your hand pushing your bottom eye lid and the lens up over your eye while watching tv but not very practical when out and about! This continued for maybe a year "try this come back in a month, then try this and come back"....Enough was enough so they sent me to docs who sent me to the specialist who sent me to a contact lens specialist at hospital. Piggy backing. "Try this then come back then try this"... still no good, very uncomfortable, felt like a soft lens does in the morning after a night out when you sleep in it all night. No good as a long term solution, maybe for playing sport in on a sat afternoon for a few hours. Was getting a bit down being tired all the time, eyeache, headache, lethargic. i had gone from going to the gym 3 times a week and playing sport to nothing, i just could't be bothered.Saw eye doctor who sent me to see surgeon and 4 months later the graft was done.7 days ago today. Day 1 the eye was very red and blurred, no pain at all just slight discomfort, similar feeling to wearing a dry lens. Have been taking drops(pred 40 2hourly and chloramphenicol 4 times a day). Redness gradually dissappeared throughout the week to virtually nothing now and the minor discomfort went after about 4 days. Vision slightly better but not much as yet.
My Story
Moderators: Anne Klepacz, John Smith, Sweet
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John Smith
- Moderator
- Posts: 1942
- Joined: Thu 08 Jan 2004 12:48 am
- Keratoconus: Yes, I have KC
- Vision: Graft(s) and spectacles
- Location: Sidcup, Kent
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