A history of me

[Mickclayton]

Where do I begin ! I became increasingly myopic from the age of 7 with an increasing prescription up to about -10.0 dioptres in the mid 70´s and in those days this meant horrible glasses, chromatic aberration, power rings, difficulty in reading the school blackboard, social issues...Finally in the summer of 77 just before going to University in Bristol, UK, I received the first toric soft lenses from Japan with the dreaded Preflex cleaning solution, Normal soaking solution with all those horrible, painful preservatives that would burn my eyes. Like this I tried to study for a Physics degree, but this meant great difficulty in reading the notes I had written or reading books. Not great ! In my second year, I persisted even riding motorbikes but my grades got worse, failing many exams, but I scrapped through eventually with a useless third class hons degree. The alternative glasses were plastic lenses 12 mm thick and hopeless. Due to lousy grades and debts I started working in the defence industry but the dry office environment meant I had to revert to the plastic lenses through which I could only see in 2 dimensions and impaired my ability for creative thought. I battled on, changed jobs after 3.5 years and finally in 86, got my first pair of gas permeable lenses from a consultant in London. For the first time, despite the discomfort of these micro lenses, I could see well but subject to huge dust problems. Nevertheless, I started horse riding and with the lenses providing good contrast in reading printed material, went back to Polytecnic this time to Brighton. Alot of dry eye problems and barely passing the degree, back to the defence industry and 100s of visits to my optometrist trying new lenses, eventually arriving at the famous practice of N F Burnett Hodd in London. With him from 94 till 2009 using Menicon Z and Alpha lenses having different powers - one for reading, a pair for middle vision and another for driving and swapping between lenses as well as soft for the gym spinning classes sometimes swapping 12 times a day. In 2009 we moved on to semi-scleral lenses in the 3 powers and I was able to start skydiving in Spain where I was living from 2006. In 2011 it was suggested I consider RLE implants so in 2012 I went to see Mr Julian Stevens @Moorfields Private clinic where unfortunately I overstressed my sports activities instead of needing clear reading vision with help from glasses as necessary. In March 2012 I underwent Oculentis Mplus 1.5 multifocal implants. By the summer it was clear the distance vision had suffered, double vision, dysphotopia, gash, glare etc and the beginning of severe dry eyes. In April 2013 I had a left eye capsulotomy and a right eye Lasek to restore distance vision - both successful but glare, dysphotia and now terrible dry eyes resulted. Unable to work, looking for jobs, still in Spain, suffering terribly only using Viscotears and Lubristil drops I was able to teach English to children at local schools. No pairs of glasses worked. Soft lenses would not stay on the eyes. Finally got work in Germany where I am now and having started with scleral lenses in London in Nov 2014, am continuing with them in Heidelberg but it seems small air bubbles get trapped leading to dry eye. I have had lower puntual plugs inserted, use Blephasteam goggles twice aday, TBUT measured in London of 0.5 secs on right eye and 4 secs on left. Dosed to the max on Omega 3 tablets as well. To read at all I use monofocal glasses and also, unbelievably, varifocal glasses. I try both with the scleral lenses, but instead of acting as a bandage, the micro air bubbles cause stinging so lenses come out, wait abit, back in and repeat ...Any suggestions ?