|
|
| |
|
|
|
- A
message from the President
- Keratoconus
and allergies
- Brisbane
keratoconus information afternoon
- Seminar
- Corneal crosslinking, other new treatments and how
to choose.
Keynote Speaker: Professor Doug Coster
- Volunteers
flock to Melbourne optometrist training clinics
- US
NKCF website update offers a range of new resources
- Latest
seminar videos
- Organ
Donation Awareness
- Action
on contact lenses
- Support
work
- Useful
Australian eye health and other health-related sites
- Other
Association news
- Articles
on the Net
- Research
- Flinders University gene research project
A
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
 We are
trying hard
to let you know about the good work the committee is
doing on behalf of members and supporters. This page
is now being updated regularly so keep coming back.
Please contact us
with any suggestions about how we can best keep
in touch with you about KA activities. Also please
send us any items of interest you would like to
share with other KA members.
We require
help on
a number of other projects including the current
project to redevelop the
website.
Contact us if you have
any suggestions.
All the best
Larry Kornhauser
KERATOCONUS
AND ALLERGIES
The
arrival of spring means warmer weather and longer days.
But for many people with keratoconus it also heralds the
return of allergies: hayfever, asthma and
itchy eyes that can make life hell for those of us who wear
contact lenses.
Heavy
winter and spring rain along the eastern seabord this year
after many years of drought has led to a sharp increase in
pollens over recent weeks - and many of us are really suffering
with itchy eyes.
Keratoconus can be aggravated by eye rubbing. So if you
suffer from itchy eyes, please see your chemist, GP or
optometrist to obtain some of the excellent eye drops that
can provide relief at this time of year. If you also have
hayfever, a general antihistamine tablet may be a better
alternative. Chronic sufferers should see an allergist
to explore ways of achieving long term relief and control
of their allergies and asthma.
For problems with dry eye, consider using a rewetting agent
on your contact lenses. Again your contact lens fitter
should be able to advise on a strategy for managing the
problem.
If
you suffer from either condition, it is vital not to
rub your eyes and to seek treatment from an experienced
keratoconus practitioner to ensure that your contact
lenses do not damage your corneas.
-
Rubbing
your eyes may feel good, but it also encourages you
to continue and risk further progression in your keratoonus.
Remember: Eye rubbing is a major risk factor in keratoconus.
The US National Keratoconus Foundation
published a detailed article on allergies and keratoconus
in its autumn
2009 edition.
DEMYSTIFYING
KERATOCONUS SEMINARS
Brisbane
keratoconus information seminar
Saturday November 6, 2010
Des O’Callaghan Auditorium, Mater Public
Hospital, South Brisbane
Keratoconus
Australia, in association with the Queensland
Eye Institute held a very successful information
day on keratoconus in Brisbane on Saturday November 6,
2010 at the Des O’Callaghan Auditorium, Mater Public
Hospital, South Brisbane.
Keynote
speakers were corneal surgeon and researcher Dr
Jim McAlister and contact lens expert, John
Mountford, who presented on new contact lens
and surgical options for keratoconus and current research
into treatments notably corneal collagen crosslinking.
Keratoconus
Australia president, Larry Kornhauser, outlined his experiences
with keratoconus and described the work done by the Association
to improve life for people with keratoconus.
Over 100 people attended the event which included lively
discussion on the new treatment options for keratoconus
like corneal collagen crosslinking, DALK or partial thickness
corneal transplantation and mini-scleral contact lenses.
A podcast of the event may be made available via QEI at
a later date. The Association will inform members if this
becomes available.
Corneal
crosslinking, other new
treatments and how to choose
Professor
Doug Coster on
keratoconus, research and new treatments
(Wednesday, September 1, 2010)
Professor
Doug Coster, Head of Ophthalmology
at Flinders University, addressed a seminar
organized by the Association on Wednesday September
1,
2010 at 7 pm at the Australian
(formerly Victorian)
College of Optometry in Carlton VIC.
Professor
Coster has published
extensively on the condition and has spoken at many
medical conferences in Australia and overseas.
Professor
Coster discussed different aspects of keratoconus
including current and future research, corneal
collagen crosslinking and other new treatments
and how patients can assess the suitability of
these treatments.
-
A
video of the
seminar is now available for purchase ($25).
return to menu
KA
MEMBERS ATTEND OPTOMETRIST TRAINING CLINICS
Keratoconus
Australia, Melbourne optometrist Associate Professor Richard
Vojlay and Melbourne University’s Department of Optometry
and Vision Sciences organized special keratoconus
clinics and lectures for final year optometry students
during September and October 2010.
Once again, Keratoconus
Australia's members responded magnificently to our call for
volunteers to attend the clinics and allow students to fit
RGP lenses onto their keratoconic and post-graft corneae. The
students were able to gain valuable experience in doing these
fittings on a range of different keratoconic eyes. Experienced
keratoconus optometrist and contact lens fitter, A/Prof Richard
Vojlay, again conducted the clinics and supervised all
contact lens fittings.
The clinics
are structured to teach students more about keratoconus,
the concerns of patients and in particular, how best
to fit contact lenses on keratoconic eyes and corneal
transplants.
The clinics were followed by a special
lecture on keratoconus held at Melbourne University on October
29. A/P Vojlay discussed some of the recent advances in keratoconus
treatments, notably corneal collagen crosslinking, and explained
how that is changing the way optometrists deal with keratoconus
patients.
Keratoconus Australia president, Larry Kornhauser, discussed
some of his own experiences with keratoconus and the importance
of contact lenses to a patient with keratoconus, while Association
secretary, Belinda Cerritelli, outlined the work being done
by Keratoconus Australia.
This year's clinics and lecture were
well received by the students and a few have already indicated
a desire to pursue post-graduate work and studies in the
field of keratoconus.
Graduates from previous years
are now moving into the
larger keratoconus practices to develop the skills
necessary to achieve optimum contact lens fits on keratoconus
patients.
The Asssociation is now considering
what other initiatives can be taken both in Victoria and
interstate to promote
better training for optometrists in fitting contact
lenses for keratoconus.
return to menu
US
NKCF Website update offers a range of new resources
The US National Keratoconus Foundation
(NKCF) recently completed an overhaul of its website. In
doing so, it added a range of new resources on keratoconus
including information on treatments, newsletters and research.
It has also added an interesting page on living with keratoconus.
The online list-serve group, KC-Link,
provides an international forum for patients to discuss topics
relating to keratoconus, to share their experiences and offer
encouragement to others. It is monitored by a range of ophthalmologists
and optometrists who specialize in keratoconus.
We highly recommend that members visit this site for more
information on keratoconus.
return
to menu
VIDEOS OF KA SEMINARS
Videos now
available
- Corneal
crosslinking, other new
treatments and how to choose
Professor Doug Coster on keratoconus,
research and new treatments
- Corneal
Collagen Crosslinking: how safe and effective is it really?
by Associate Professor Grant Snibson, Dr Christine
Wittig-Silva, Joanne Brooks
- New
contact lenses and a patient's view of corneal collagen
crosslinking
by Richard Lindsay and Anslie Fitzsimons.
Free audio podcasts of these presentations can be found here.
- All
previous seminars held by the Association are also
available.
For details go to the video page.
return to menu
ORGAN
DONATION -
DONATE LIFE WEBSITE
Keratoconus
Australia supports organ donation by distributing
brochures
for the Australian Organ Donation Register
to all new members. We encourage
all members to discuss this important issue
with friends and family, who can
register as organ donors. Should you require
more information about organ
donation and the register, go to Australian
Organ Donor Register.
-
We
also have updated brochures on organ donation which
were released in June 2010 as part of a Federal
Government awareness campaign. A
new Donate Life
website has
been created which includes a range of facts and
figures and resources including a Family
Discussion brochure
return to menu
ACTION
ON CONTACT LENSES
Keratoconus
Australia continues to press for action to lower
the cost of specialized contact lenses for keratoconus.
Details of recent and past efforts in this regard can
be found on our Action
on Contact Lenses page.
-
But
that could take time. So in the meantime, we suggest
members put pressure on their private health funds
to recognize the special nature of contact lenses for
keratoconus and to provide higher rebates on claims
for these specialized and indispensable lenses.
With
the assistance of the US Keratoconus Foundation, we
have prepared a letter which members can download and
print to send along with their contact lens claims
to their private health fund. Please
send this letter to your health fund EVERY TIME you submit
a claim for a rebate on your new contact lenses.
Letter to
request a higher rebate from your health fund (in pdf format)
-
Latest
initiatives
In April 2010, KA attended a meeting
with Vision2020
Australia and
the Optometrist Association of Australia (OAA) to
discuss our
campaign to lower the cost of contact lenses for keratoonus.
OAA gave in principle support to explore options that could
assist in lowering the cost of lenses to patients.
Since then, Belinda and Larry have had talks with various
representatives of optometrist groups in a bid to advance
this issue. We will report back as developments occur.
-
Other
contact lens news
SynergEyes, a new hybrid contact lens for
keratoconus, has finally arrived in Australia. These
lenses offer a level of comfort to advanced keratoconus
patients which is not always achievable with normal
rigid gas permeable lenses. They have been used
successfully
overseas to fit patients
who might have otherwise
required a corneal transplant. Unfortunately they
are very expensive, need to be replaced regularly (every
6-12 months) and can be tricky to fit. Post-graft lenses
have not been very successful to date. Information about
the lenses can be found here (warning:
this is advertising material).
As they need to be ordered from the US, the manufacturer
is supplying them only to a limited number of contact lens
fitters around Australia. If your contact lens fitter does
not have access to these lenses, please contact us
and will we try to assist you in finding a local provider.
Mini-scleral lenses
are providing another
alternative for patients with advanced keratoconus and
post-graft patients. Ask your contact lens fitter about
them.
-
The US National Keratoconus Foundation
published a detailed article on new contact lenses for
keratoconus in its autumn
2009 edition. It
also included an article on contact lens intolerance.
return
to menu
SUPPORT
WORK
Keratoconus
Australia has provided support to over 170 people
since the start of 2010.
This support has taken various forms including:
-
assistance
in finding eye-carers experienced in fitting contact
lenses for keratoconus and performing corneal
transplants and corneal crosslinking (CXL)
-
counselling
for people before and after corneal transplants and
CXL
-
distribution
of information about keratoconus, contact lenses,
CXL and corneal transplants
-
providing
advice about contact lenses
-
providing
information about intacs and other surgical procedures
-
connecting
families with adolescents facing surgery or dealing
with other keratoconus-related issues
Support work is done with the kind assistance of a group of
optometrists and ophthalmologists who provide technical and
medical advice in response to members' queries.
You
can obtain support by ringing us on 0409 644 811 or emailing
questions via the Online Forum
return
to menu
USEFUL
AUSTRALIAN HEALTH LINKS
This
page on
the Department of Health and Aging website
provides links to a number of organizations which could
help you negotiate the complexities of
the Australian
health
system. Included are:
- Department
of Health and Ageing - Eye Health Page
- Medicare Australia
- Private Health Insurance
Ombudsman
Other useful links
- Australian Competition
and Consumer Commission (ACCC)
- Consumers'
Health Forum of Australia (CHF)
return to menu
KA COMMITTEE
NOTES
The
committee has been busy organizing events, promoting the
Association and its work and assisting
people with keratoconus and their families
in many ways.
The committee meets on a regular basis.
So far this year, the committee has met in March, May,
June,
August and November.
Please contact us
if you would like further details or you would like to
assist in a current
or future project.
We are still looking for enthusiastic people to join
the committee and bring new ideas about how we can
expand and develop the Association's activities.
Membership
The
Association currently has some 1,550
full members.
return to menu
ON
the NET
Below are links to some articles and research
of interest to keratoconus patients. Please send us
any information
you
find so that we can share it with others.
(Disclaimer: Keratoconus Australia Inc takes no responsibility
for information found on off-site links. This
information is outside the control of the association
and it remains the responsibility
of internet users to evaluate its accuracy.)
Corneal Collagen Crosslinking
- VIDEO Corneal
Crosslinking for Keratoconus An excellent
animated description of keratoconus and the crosslinking
procedure by a French team headed by Dr David Touboul.
Detailed and targeted at ophthamologists. (real
player required)
- Cataract & Refractive
Surgery Today Europe published a
corneal crosslinking special edition in April 2009 which
examined a range of issues relating to CXL. These include
the impact of crosslinking, patient selection criteria, the
aging effect on the cornea and its use with other surgery.
- Contact
Lens Spectrum has three articles
of interest for keratoconus
patients in its September 2009 edition.
- Ocular
Surgery News Supersite has regular news
updates from around the world. Also covers developments in
contact lenses.
- The US National Keratoconus Foundation publishes
a regular newsletter which
includes articles on a range of keratoconus topics, stories
about living with keratoconus and FAQ's answered by their
consulting optometrist.
Articles in the spring
2010 edition include:
- Corneal
Collagen Cross-Linking
- Successful
contact lens wearing
return to menu
RESEARCH
The
Association continues to involve itself in a number of research
initiatives relating to keratoconus. Contact us
for further details or if you are interested in funding a
project.
In June 2010, the Association contacted
members on behalf of researchers at the Flinders
Medical Centre in Adelaide, South Australia. The Flinders
team is looking for people with keratoconus across Australia
over the age of 18 years to be research participants to help
with identifying genes that cause keratoconus. It is hoped
that by understanding the genetic causes of keratoconus,
new treatments can be developed that target the cause of
the condition.
Initial feedback from the Flinders researchers indicated an
overwhelming response from Keratoconus Australia members. As
always, we thank you for supporting these research projects.
The Association is currently working with the Flinders researchers
on three other projects for which we have made a joint application
for Federal funding. Professor Coster will discuss the projects
at our seminar on September 1 in Melbourne
Previous research news
- NSW Uni stem cell breakthrough & keratoconus
A number of members have contacted the Association about
the University of NSW's use of stem cells on contact lenses
to restore sight to people suffering from corneal damage.
In particular, members have asked if this procedure can be
used to halt progression in keratoconus or reverse damage
from the condition.
The simple answer is "no" at this stage. The NSW
procedure (outlined here) affects
only the very outer layer of the cornea (the epithelium) and
not the stroma which is affected by keratoconus. The researchers
tell Keratoconus Australia they are looking at ways to use
the procedure to repair and strengthen the stroma - but clinical
trials could be still years away.
Dr Stephanie Watson, a member of the UNSW team, had this to
say about the procedure and keratoconus:
- Our treatment only replenishes the very first layer of
the cornea, the
epithelium. This layer is like the skin of the eye. In keratoconus
it is the
middle section of the cornea, the stroma, that is abnormal.
A different set
of stem cells looks after this part of the cornea so it is
these cells that
need to be replenished not the surface layer. Our lab is
investigating these cells but our findings are not ready
for clinical application yet.
We are currently waiting for further updates from the NSW team.
return to menu
|
|
|
