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Eye Care Advice

 

When I had my CrossLinking operations I was told to go home and recover, the hard part was over and there was really nothing I could do to affect the outcome. This may be true but there are still some more things you should know. 

Make a Timetable of Medication

When you come back from hospital you'll have two pots of eye drops which need to be taken at different intervals during the day, a packet of prescription painkillers, and anaesthetic eye drops. On top of that you've probably got regular painkillers in the cupboard at home and if you've been to see you GP (recommended) then you'll have additional painkillers too.

 

All of these medicines have a maximum dosage and you don't want to overdose on any one of them (that's why you've got so many different types). If you work out how often each can or should be taken then you will be able to make a timetable for yourself telling you when to take each drug. By having the information laid out like this, you remove the risk of making bad decisions when you are flustered or in pain.

 

This also means that you can space the medication out - taking 1 painkiller every 2 hours is much more comfortable than taking 2 at once and having to wait 4 hours for your next dose. I would recommend that you draft the timetable on the understanding that you'll want to take maximum dosage - the timetable will then be useful for the first couple of days when you are at your most fragile and you can throw it out after that as it will have served its purpose.

Set Alarms to remind you of eye drops

After a few days you'll feel your usual chirpy self again. At this point it becomes incredibly difficult to remember  to administer eye drops 4 times a day for the next 3 weeks. This is unfortunate as the eye drops speed up the healing process.

 

Find some way of reminding yourself, whether it's a note stuck to the cereal packet, a series of alarms on your phone or a housemate that is keeping a sharp eye.

 

I'd love to know what solutions people have found for this problem as I am still hopeless at remembering this.

Ask for Help

It is very easy to struggle alone and do things like squint at little letters printed on fiddly packets while forgetting that your friends and family would happily help you if only you would let them know what would be useful.

 

If it is possible for someone to take a week off work OR arrange to work flexible hours from home straight after your CrossLinking then this will be a massive help for you. This is not only good for morale, but means that you can do a wider range of activities, and have someone on hand to keep track of your painkiller timetable.

Investigate Flexible Working Possibilities

With the best will in the world you're going to experience disruption at work especially once you factor in longer term screen-sensitivity and possibly an limitations on your ability to drive.

 

If it is possible to work from home at first then you may find that you're able to pick up the reigns much sooner. Working from home means that you can take breaks whenever you need them, adopt flexible hours as needed, and have access to the eye drops stored in your fridge. It also means that when you've had enough your journey home is very short!

Don't hold back on your Painkillers

I am not the only CrossLinking patient to look back and say 'I wish I'd let myself take more painkillers'. In some misguided effort to be brave (or take drugs in moderation) it seems several of us hold back.

 

Our retrospective advice: Take what you need when you need it. You'll find you need quite a lot in the first 48 hours or so and it's best to anticipate that from the start. Don't hold back at the beginning in an effort to 'pace yourself'' as the amount you require tails off so rapidly that I always end up with excess painkillers left over in the end.

Don't get it mucky or wet

When on the operating table I asked if there were any restrictions on what sport I could do when recovering and I told that there were none ...Then I asked if I could go swimming and I was told not to get it wet!

 

The problem is that by removing the epithelium (wholly or partially) the eye becomes very vulnerable to infection. On top of that we administer steroid drops 4 times a day, which helps the epithelium grow back, but also helps cultivate any extra bacteria that may be in the eye too. For this reason it's best to steer clear of any mucky jobs or germy swimming pools until several weeks after the operation. 

Avoid Screens

I find that screens (such as televisions or computers) make eyes ache more and so always plan to have a screen-free fortnight following CrossLinking and even after that only ramp up the hours in moderation.

 

I've been told that it's ok to take pain killers and carry on, so if you're the extremely determined type this is an option.

Don't wear contact lenses

After CrossLinking your cornea will be 'inflamed' and you won't be able to wear contact lenses. At first you'll be aware of this, but after some time you may feel ready to wear lenses again whether or not you really should. After getting CrossLinking you ought to wait at least 3 months before putting hard contact lenses back in your eye.

 

This is an absolute pain if you need contact lenses to drive after dark so do plan ahead and make sure that your friends and colleagues know about any restrictions you anticipate to your driving. 

 

When you are ready to put lenses in again, don't use your existing set. The shape of your cornea will have changed and so you need to get re-fitted. By putting your existing set in your eyes before getting fitted for a new set, you'll be changing the shape of your cornea once more and impeding the efforts of the optician who is trying to fit the new set.

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