I’m trying out something new! I’ve coined it ‘sandwiching’!
It was time for my appointment with my optician during the week. She is keeping a wee eye on my transplant eye, but mainly helping me in my struggle with a lens/ lenses in my other eye.
This one is the eye I rely on – my better eye. It still has advanced keratoconus [kc] and low tolerance for the contact lenses required to see clearly. I can manage some days with a few hours wearing my lenses. Having kc means I need a hard contact lens to correct visual distortions and enable semi-decent vision. It’s an rgp – rigid gas permable lens.
‘Piggy backing’ is a term which describes wearing a soft contact lens underneath a hard contact lens (to improve comfort). Two lenses in one eye. This has been the best solution to date, albeit a struggle at times.
One of those times came a week or two ago when I just couldn’t see properly through my lens…
If you look closely at the video below/go to full screen/zoom in, you can see how hydro-phobic my contact lens is. My tears ‘pool’ on the surface, rather than covering the lens in a nice smooth coating.
We’ve tried many different things to aleviate the problem. I’ve also had my eyes and inner lids checked out for allergies, meibomian gland dysfunction etc. These lenses were specially made from the same material as my lenses @20 years ago, when I had no such issues.
This is my ‘better’ eye – my non-transplant eye – and the one I rely on to see!
But then, fairly often, *this* happens.
It’s like trying to look through vaseline or a steamed up shower screen… It is eminently frustrating. And it’s not predictable.
That day I’d all-but had enough…
but then, I had a thought!
What if I put a soft lens on top of the hard rgp, as well as underneath?
An rgp sandwich!
I tried it – nothing to lose. And guess what?…
It worked!
It wasn’t perfect, but for an hour I could see! There was no steamy vaseline effect – the 3rd lens created a new top layer which my eyes tolerated.
I got in touch with my fab optician/ lens fitter, and she was happy for me to experiment and let her know how I got on!
My appointment went well – my optician said that we are ‘pioneering’ this ‘sandwiching’ technique. She is happy to think creatively!
She is ordering me a new rgp – made from a thinner, more gas permeable material. As I only wear my lenses for such a short time most days, my eyes shouldn’t become deprived of oxygen. She is also ordering much thinner soft lenses with a different shape, which should also aid oxygen transfer and hopefully not flap up above my lower lid – which has been happening with my original 3rd soft lens.
I also had a scan of the whole of my eye. The chart on the wall ‘explains’ it all, but tbh, I don’t understand (and we didn’t discuss it at my appointment).
So all in all, the little ray of hope is still shining, where I felt it had been flickering for some time.
A good day at the optician!
