Hope for karatoconus...sight is heavenly.

I have spent the past 3 decades being mad at my optometrists, or believing that as we age, poor eyesight is a given we must learn to live with.  I have been legally blind since the second grade when I was diagnosed with nearsightedness.  Since then I have worn either glasses or contact lenses.  About 20 years ago I gave up on glasses because they are so expensive and by the time I got them home, I could not see properly out of them.  I have been wearing contacts only all of these years.  My vision continued to be poor.  During my early 50's, I went through 6 years of full time college for an M.A. so that I could help supplement the family income, after my husband lost his business.  Believe me, it's tough going to school at that age (considering the normal loss of brain function associated with aging).  I can not put into words how extraordinarily difficult it was for me to accomplish that goal with uncorrectable blurry vision.  It was brutal.  Especially during my internships.

In the past year I have noticed that my vision acuity fluctuated a lot even during the course of a day.  Sometimes it was horrible and others it wasn't as bad.  Out of frustration, in Dec. 2010,  I went to see if I might be able to get better vision with laser surgery.  My eyes had to pass 15 qualifications in order for me to be a candidate.  Everything was looking great and arrangements were being made so I could stay that day and have the surgery done.  I still had a couple of exams to pass before we went ahead with it.  The last test was for keratoconus.  It turned out that I had a significant case of it in both eyes.  I was devastated after the Dr. dropped the bomb that because of this I was not a candidate for laser surgery.  He then asked if I experienced fluctuation in my vision.  This was the first time I had any idea that I wasn't like every other older person with failing vision.

Keratoconus is a degenerative corneal disease that can possibly result in the need for cornea transplants.  The cornea becomes weak, flabby, and unable to hold it's shape.  Sometimes it forms a cone shape pointing out from the eye. Sometimes it sags like my tummy did after childbirth.  Mine corneas are like the latter.  In Jan. 2011, I went to Dr. Boxer Wachler for a second opinion after researching keratoconus online
http://www.boxerwachler.com/c3-r-cxl-crosslinking.html.

I learned that there is a procedure that causes the cornea to strengthen over a period of months by stimulating collagen cross linking.  It is very expensive (which was pretty depressing).  My husband encouraged me to try the procedure because my eyes are very important and worth the sacrifice.  I had no idea what to expect.  I certainly didn't expect miracles.  This was only a precursor to another procedure that was even more costly, but is designed to improve both vision and astigmatism.  I decided that I would go ahead with the first procedure and wait a couple of years so I could save up for the other procedure.  I didn't expect much from the first until the second could be performed.

I had the Holcumb C3-R procedure done on Friday, Jan. 14th, 2011.  I rested my eyes over the weekend and did not put my contact lenses back in until Tuesday morning.  The first thing I noticed was little bits of popcorn on the living room carpet which were left over from Saturday night when we had friends over for a movie (I mostly just listened since I couldn't see it).  I thought we picked everything up after our guests left.  The next thing I noticed was the crumbs on the kitchen counter from the cookies we baked for them.  I honestly had no idea that the counters were not clean.  Tuesday night I noticed Orion's belt in the sky.  I could actually see stars in the sky.  I thought that since we live in the city stars were rarely seen by anyone here.  I also could see the "face" of the man in the moon.  It wasn't just a fuzzy white sphere.  Today I noticed how dirty my car is, and I was fascinated how the leaves on bushes and trees shimmer in the sunlight.  I went to a meeting for work and could actually read the document in the front of the room produced by the overhead projector.  For two nights (after wearing my lenses all day long), I haven't experienced dry eyes (so severe that I have to squint constantly because of the discomfort, not to mention the fuzzy haze on EVERYTHING by then).  I can't remember the last time my eyes were comfortable and focused at night.

Thurs. Jan. 20, 2011

Today I have spent the day walking around saying, "Wow... wow... wow...".   The first thing that jumped out at me this morning was the "popcorn paint" on the overhang outside my office window.  I could recognize people who were at the end of my building block.  I saw the edge of the baseball field in the park across the field.  I could read EVERY poster in my room.  One of them I have NEVER been able to see without walking right up to it and squinting.  I noticed how badly my boots need polishing.  At lunch I ran to the store to grab three things.  As soon as I stepped inside, the words on the packages all around clearly jumped out at me.  I could read the area category signs in the isles without squinting.

The only down side at this point is that my close up vision is getting more difficult to discern.  I wear bifocal contact lenses, have done for 15 years at least.  I know for sure that my close up vision prescription needs to be changed.

I'll keep you posted on other heavenly amazing things about what has happened to my vision since my procedure was done.