
I continue to recover from my DALK corneal transplant/graft procedure on March 9th, and thought I’d bring my (growing) audience up to date on some highlights. My wife has been a trooper in helping me with things over the last few days, including a bit of grumpiness and anxiety.
Positives:
- Eyelid swelling reduced.
- Eye redness reduced.
- Milky-white vision is gone.
- Pain levels reduced – Tylenol helps with a mild burn in the morning. I am surprised how quickly pain has dropped.
- The overnight discomfort is near zero. This is a huge improvement for me. In the past, my gigantic cone would get dry and raw overnight. I used to have to lubricate every hour or so and the pain would wake me many times per night. For the last two nights, I’ve slept like a baby without any drugs.
- No post-7:00 pm pain that I had with scleral lenses.
- Foreign object sensation with sutures roughly the same as a RGP lens.
Annoyances/Negatives:
- ITCH!!! The areas around my eyelid and eye socket where the injections were given (I was asleep) became very itchy for a day or so.
Alas, I ended up with this rather more boring version. I just need a flintlock pistol for me belt now. If this happens to you don’t forget you cannot rub your eye. Put your shield on and occupy your mind. It took Benadryl and it helped a bit.
- An annoyance is this “bandage contact lens” I was given. It’s purpose is to encourage healing of the epithelium and improve comfort while the nerve endings are exposed. It’s the size of a quarter-dollar and does not fit well and makes my vision “wavy” – like looking through a wine glass. If I turn my head slightly, I see bits and pieces of what’s to come. This morning, from across the room, I caught a glimpse between the contact lens waviness of my iPhone clock – and it was as if I had 20/20 vision for a moment. Last night, I glanced at the stars and could see that shortly, I’ll be able to enjoy them again. This should come out at my next Dr. visit.
- Light sensitivity. My doctors said that this was quite normal. We’ve had beautiful sunny weather in Kentucky and I’ve needed to remain in the shadows. A dark-black patch (available at your local pharmacy) has been tremendously helpful. I recommend those having surgery buy one. Dark sunglasses not enough for me.
- Steroid and antibiotic drops have a mild, temporary burn – but these are critical to recovery.
- I caught myself drifting off to sleep once without my shield. Must not!
My activities have been slowly increasing – I went out to breakfast with my wife and eldest daughter yesterday. Enjoyed it, but had to wear my dark-black patch to avoid the brightness. I took my bike for a short spin in the neighborhood on the widest lanes. Dozens of neighbors out enjoying the Spring day. I did some minor repairs around the house and tried to help with regular household chores (avoiding those requiring lifting or extensive bending.)
I will check in again in a few days. So pleased to get the encouraging messages, thanks to all.