Eyes open!

[tommy.dean]

At the beggining of this year my right eye's KC advanced and i was faced with the prospect of a transplant. I had previously had a transplant in my left eye in July '04, which also came with glucoma(either response to steriods or surgery induced) and a large amount of astigmatism, so i wasnt happy to have a pk performed on my right eye this year.
I started researching alot and found a keratoconus specialist in london. I made an appointment initially for c3r, my thinking was c3r = no transplant,but unfortunately i wasn't a candidate for it because my keratoconus was too advanced, i was then told that with laser the left eye could be corrected fully, but he could not use any of his methods to correct my right eye and referred me to anouther specialist in london. I went ahead with the laser and now enjoy 20/20 unaided vision from the left eye, which is amazing compared with the vision before with the astigmatism. At my meeting with the referred specialist he was very confident that i was a candidate for a lammeler transplant he showed me pictures of an eye 3 days after and i was shocked, my left eye didnt look like that until around a month after. I then talked through his method of lemmeler transplants and asked alot of questions, which were all answered happily and fully. I am booked in for the surgery on 22 Jan '07, I am looking forward to seeing out of my right eye as this was my "good eye" untill recently.
I had known about lammelar transplants and laser and had asked my consultants about them, but had been told it couldn't be done, and nothing else said. Although i had been told this i still carried on believing, and never shut my eyes and gave up, i looked above it all and went for it. If only i would have done this sooner maybe keratoconus would not have had a chance to take so much away over the last 4 years of my life, I am just glad I have now got my eyes open in all aspects, and look forward with excitment to a better future with better vision.

[Andrew MacLean]

tommy

All the best with your lamellar keratoplasty. I had a DLK in my left eye at the end of October, after a PK in my right eye three years ago (December 03).

One of the members of the Scottish Group had LASIK treatment post graft, and one of the consultants who came to speak to our group indicated thatwhile this sort of interventionw as not risk free, it was something that could be contemplated under some circumstances.

I am gald to know that your immediate recovery has given you such a favourable result.

all the best for your surgery in January.

Yours aye

Andrew