Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us
Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network
Home
Discussion Groups
General
GeneralCardiologyVisionDentistryPharmacyLaboratoryNutritionAlternative
Diseases and Disorders
AIDSAlzheimer'sArthritisAsthmaCancerBreast CancerDiabetesEpilepsyGlaucomaHepatitisHerpesLupusProstate BPHProstate CancerProstatitisSinusitisTinnitus

Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Lupus / May 2004

Tip: Looking for answers? Try searching our database.

Keratoconus?

Thread view: 
Enable EMail Alerts  Start New Thread
Thread rating: 
Candi Bowen - 26 Apr 2004 22:14 GMT
Anyone had any experience with this? It's a eye disease that causes
warping/waving of the cornea; the cornea being 70% connective tissue.

Candi
J - 26 Apr 2004 23:46 GMT
> Anyone had any experience with this? It's a eye disease that causes
> warping/waving of the cornea; the cornea being 70% connective tissue.
>
> Candi

http://www.contactlenses.co.uk/education/public/keratoconus.htm
Keratoconus
Poor vision that cannot be corrected fully with glasses may indicate a
condition known as conical cornea or keratoconus. A rare condition,
keratoconus primarily affects people in their early 20’s.

With keratoconus, the cornea, the "clear window" at the front of the eye,
may become thin and bow outwards. It is this irregular distortion of the
cornea that makes vision correction with glasses less than optimal.

Vision correction with rigid gas permeable lenses.
Mild to moderate keratoconus is best corrected with rigid gas permeable
contact lenses, which provide a smooth surface in front of the cornea,
making clear vision possible. Because the lens is rigid, the tears
between the lens and the cornea form a ‘liquid lens,’ which smooths out
the irregularities of the cornea and makes clear vision possible again.
Specific forms of Gas permeable contact lens, like the Rose K (plus here)
lens is claimed to fit better than standard lenses and be more
comfortable. Soft lenses, which ‘wrap’ onto the cornea and take up its
shape much more closely than rigid lenses, are less successful at
correcting keratoconus.

Corneal replacement surgery may be necessary.
As keratoconus progresses, some scarring of the cornea can occur. The
cornea can become deformed to such an extent that it is physically very
difficult to get an adequate fit with a contact lens. As a result the
level of vision can be reduced. Eventually, contact lenses may no longer
be a successful treatment. Instead, the cornea may need to be replaced
surgically with a cornea of more regular shape. The prognosis for corneal
replacement surgery is generally very good.
J - 27 Apr 2004 00:13 GMT
> Anyone had any experience with this? It's a eye disease that causes
> warping/waving of the cornea; the cornea being 70% connective tissue.
>
> Candi

Hi Candi, Hope you saw my post.
So what's next for you? Special contact lenses?
Hugs
J
Candi Bowen - 27 Apr 2004 15:07 GMT
Hi, well, I really don't know & only recently learned the severity of KC.
I'm seeing a specialist tomorrow. I was dx'd with in '76 when I was 20 & was
told I got it from wearing the old rigid contacts that didn't allow oxygen
thru them, & after a couple of months my corneas returned to normal. But for
the past year my vision has become increasingly, incredibly worse & now am
developing the eyeball headaches. In researching KC I found many experts
saying that it doesn't just 'go away', but can go into remission. I'm
freaking here. Especially since I learned yesterday about the connective
tissue relation. Thanks!

Candi
----------

>> Anyone had any experience with this? It's a eye disease that causes
>> warping/waving of the cornea; the cornea being 70% connective tissue.
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
>Hugs
>J
J - 28 Apr 2004 10:55 GMT
> Hi, well, I really don't know & only recently learned the severity of KC.
> I'm seeing a specialist tomorrow. I was dx'd with in '76 when I was 20 & was
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> freaking here. Especially since I learned yesterday about the connective
> tissue relation. Thanks!

It does say "progressive" and "inherited" here
http://www.stlukeseye.com/Conditions/Keratoconus.asp
(were you ever on Pred? doesn't that cause skin thinning?)
Hopefully there's a solution.
Big hugs Candi, keep us updated.
J
SCroyle909 - 20 May 2004 23:16 GMT
My daughter has severe keratoconus in one eye.  She's tried several kinds of
contacts with no luck.  Actually, that's not the eye she has the most trouble
seeing with.  

She has anisometropia with greater than a 4 diopter difference between her
eyes.  The weak eye has a normal cornea, though.  Correcting her vision has
been a huge challenge.  We consulted an ophthalmologist about doing laser
correction of her vision in just one eye, but he didn't want anything to do
with it because of her lupus.  

She can't be fully corrected with glasses either though.  That much difference
with glasses causes a lot of distortion when you do full correction.  She
doesn't tolerate contacts.  We tried contacts in just one eye, but she had
problems with that as well.  It's very frustrating.

Sandra
Beverley - 21 May 2004 00:49 GMT
There is a doctor in Virginia Beach, VA who does the laser and he's supposed
to be one of the best on the East Coast. I think he pioneered the laser
surgery. I can send you his name, street addy and phone # if you'd like to
consult him.
Bev

> My daughter has severe keratoconus in one eye.  She's tried several kinds of
> contacts with no luck.  Actually, that's not the eye she has the most trouble
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
>
> Sandra
Candi Bowen - 24 May 2004 16:50 GMT
I've heard the same thing about this doc too. I developed KC in 1976 from
the old rigid contacts & they didn't know whether it would resolve by itself
or not. At that time, there was no treatment. It eventually went away & I
thought I was OK, even tho I had to be checked every 6 months or so. I
recently learned, due to some similar symptoms, that it can come back at any
time. I really need to go to a good opthamologist but I've been putting it
off. I know, I know . . . Does your daughter have pain from it? My eyeballs
felt like they had severe migrains; it was horriffic. Good luck to you.

Candi
----------

>There is a doctor in Virginia Beach, VA who does the laser and he's supposed
>to be one of the best on the East Coast. I think he pioneered the laser
[quoted text clipped - 23 lines]
>>
>> Sandra
SCroyle909 - 25 May 2004 00:50 GMT
My daughter does get a lot of eye pain.  I never thought of it possibly being
due to keratoconus.  I'll mention that to her.

Sandra
 
Sign In
Join
My Latest Posts
My Monitored Threads
My Blog
My Photo Gallery
My Profile
My Homepage

Start New Thread
Enable EMail Alerts
Rate this Thread



©2008 Advenet LLC   Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.