Gabriel Gunderson <[email protected]> writes:
> On Fri, Aug 28, 2009 at 1:12 PM, Levi Pearson<[email protected]> wrote:
>> I had both of my corneas transplanted thanks to a particularly rapid
>> progression of Keratoconus. Have any of your relatives had transplants?
>> If so, are they using glasses or contacts still?
>
> Nope, but one will likely require a transplant in the coming years.
> The rest have to wear hard contacts to help hold the shape of their
> eye.
I hated the rigid gas-permeable contacts with a passion, although I
loved that they made it so I could actually see. I often only wore one
of them, as the discomfort was more manageable that way. My left eye
quickly got to the point where it would be difficult to fit a new one,
which is when I got the first transplant.
> Again, the screening said that my corneas were nice and healthy. I
> guess these things can change with time. At what age did your
> condition come on?
I'm not sure exactly when mine came on. I think I got my first glasses
sometime in middle school/jr. high, and got diagnosed with Keratoconus
in early high school. My first transplant was at the end of my first
year at BYU. The second transplant (for the other eye) was a year after
that, so I'd be covered by my dad's insurance, though it was progressing
much more slowly and probably could have waited.
Mine progressed abnormally quickly, from what I understand. From that
Wikipedia page, it looks like as of 2004, there's an alternative
treatment to transplants now, which sounds interesting. The transplant
process itself wasn't too bad, though my stitches were a frequent
irritant for the 3 or so years following the operations.
--Levi
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