I have an eye condition known as kerataconus that affects both my eyes. This (non-contagious!) problem causes changes to the cornea which means that my vision has deteriorated over a number of years. I was diagnosed over twenty five years ago. At first normal spectacles corrected the problem but there’s limit to what they can do and I was switched to using rigid gas permeable contact lenses around 18 years ago. Both my eyes are affected, my left eye is worse than my right. The condition itself is not painful, but many people find that the use of rigid lenses over a long period causes problems in itself. (Getting a piece of grit trapped between the lens and the eye is very painful!)
These work well for me - although not everyone can tolerate them - and still provide very good vision in my right eye. Kerataconus makes the cornea bulge and thin and one of the potential consequences is that one of the internal layers of the cornea can rupture. This results in some of the eye’s internal fluid seeping through into the cornea causing a cloudy patch - this is corneal hydrops. In August 2010 this happened to me. Hydrops often clears up after two-three months, but in my case it did not and I was left with a small bump and scarring on the front of the cornea. Both of these mean that I cannot wear a contact lens in my left eye which means that my vision in that eye is very blurred. The scarring also partially covers my pupil causing further dimness in that eye.
These work well for me - although not everyone can tolerate them - and still provide very good vision in my right eye. Kerataconus makes the cornea bulge and thin and one of the potential consequences is that one of the internal layers of the cornea can rupture. This results in some of the eye’s internal fluid seeping through into the cornea causing a cloudy patch - this is corneal hydrops. In August 2010 this happened to me. Hydrops often clears up after two-three months, but in my case it did not and I was left with a small bump and scarring on the front of the cornea. Both of these mean that I cannot wear a contact lens in my left eye which means that my vision in that eye is very blurred. The scarring also partially covers my pupil causing further dimness in that eye.
Once it had became clear (in February 2011) that the hydrops was not going to clear up, I was put on a waiting list for a corneal graft (“corneal transplant”). The cornea does not have a blood supply, which means that when it comes to a transplant, tissue typing is not required. The new cornea can still be rejected but the rejection can be controlled if discovered quickly (and is normally spotted very quickly since it often results in a sudden deterioration in vision). If the graft is rejected, then second grafts are often tissue typed. The lack of a blood supply means that the cornea is slow to heal so the graft can take 12-18 months to fully integrate with the surrounding tissue. When I went on the list, I was told that the wait would be three to four months. I have now been told that I will have the operation on 7th June 2011.
I plan to keep this blog to record my progress after the operation.
After developing hydrops and doing some research on-line, I discovered the UK kerataconus self help and support group which is an excelled resource for those with the disease. The forums are a great source of “real world” experiences (rather than the sometimes ‘theoretical’ and slightly sterile information given by health professionals).
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