Vision Question

[axkikr]

I have been diagnosed with an eye disease called Keratoconus. Most individuals diagnosed with this slow progressing corneal disease, can be managed with contact lenses or glasses. Once the disease progresses to a certain point, a corneal transplant is required to restore your vision. My question is has anybody had this procedure and or does anybody know anyone who has had this done. statistics show the transplant as the most common form of transplant, and also has a 95% success rate, but I can't find any firefighters who have had a corneal transplant. I would love to hear your story or share any info with me . Thanks

[ehs7554]

http://www.avclinic.com/keratoconus.htm

What are the symptoms of Keratoconus?
The typical patient with undiagnosed keratoconus complains of deteriorating vision, usually in one eye first, both at distance and near. Near visual acuity may improve if the patient squints or holds printed material closer. Keratoconus patients often report multiple images, or ghosting of images and often relate a history of frequent refractive correction changes without much improvement in visual acuity. Patients may also report irritating symptoms such as intolerance to glare, photophobia and a recurrent foreign body sensation.
Even with appropriate contact lens correction, keratoconus patients often report fluctuating vision throughout the day and from day to day, although the measurements of visual acuity in keratoconus patients are highly repeatable.

TREATMENT OPTIONS
The treatment approach to keratoconus follows an orderly progression from glasses to contact lenses to corneal transplantation. Glasses are an effective means of correction mild keratoconus. As the cornea steepens and becomes more irregular, glasses are no longer capable of providing adequate visual improvement. Corneal transplant surgery is indicated when a patient cannot wear contact lenses for an acceptable period of time or when the vision, even with contacts, is unsatisfactory. Over 90% of corneal transplants are successful with the majority of patients obtaining vision of 20/40 or better afterwards with either glasses or contact lenses.

A gas permeable contact lens is the most highly effective way to manage keratoconus and 90% of all cases can be managed this way indefinitely. If the cornea becomes too scarred or painful, a corneal transplant may be necessary.

[axkikr]

Thanks for the reply , but I have already reached a point where I have consulted with a corneal specialist, and am waiting to schedule my surgery. I guess what I was really after in my thread was to find out if any firefighters out there have actually had this transplant procedure and what the outcome was. I have studied the information available, and understand the success rates, but what rarely gets mentioned is the actual healing process. My Doctor says it will be 6-8 months of no lifting anything over 20lbs. After that whole process, you can speculate, but never be guaranteed what the outcome will be. If I had a desk job I would be more comfortable with it, but obviously I don't. My department will be gracious enough to put me in Training for the time, but I hope everything goes well enough to return to the line. I was looking to find any firefighter that has had this procedure and what he/she experienced.
Thanks