Cornea Specialist Needed

[dwbevan]

A funny thing happened as we were making plans to return to our home in TV after the 2011 holidays.. . 3 1/2 years ago I had a major eye infection caused by a virus - I ultimately ended up with a corneal transplant. This fall all seemed fine - finally had hybrid lenses that allowed me to see as good as was possible in that eye and all was well.

The day after Christmas I woke up and the viral infection has returned and now my eye and transplanted cornea are involved again. I need to make some plans for when I do return should this ever happen in Florida. My specialist here is willing to work with someone there, but I need to have some names for him to check out... This is not something I can just wait and see if I find someone should it happen again - I am not even sure what my next steps are here yet.

If anyone has any they would recommend for a similar condition please let me know.

Hope all had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and that we will be back in TV soon. Thank you for any help.

[Paulm47]

Suggest Dr. Scott Wehrly at Lake Eye Associates. He is there Corneal guy and I have added below a link to his bio. I see Dr. Vocci in the same practice and have been very impressed with the practice.

http://www.lakeeye.com/index.php?page=eyedoctors#dr-wehrly

[orge113]

I think you have the same condition that I have. It is called herpetic keratitis. It is caused by the herpes virus. Once it gets into your system, the best that you can hope for is to suppress it. It can rear it's ugly head at any time. I once went 20 years between outbreaks. Here are some suggestions : (1) Avoid constant exposure to the sun. One of my worst outbreaks occurred after spending 2 consecutive days at the beach. (2) Stress and fatigue are also culprits. Try to minimize their impact. (3) For prevention I take a 1,000 mg of Valtrex every night before I go to bed. The name brand is more effective than the generic version. Also every morning, on an empty stomach, I also use 1,000 mg of L-Lysine.
Good luck! Hope this helps.
Gary O

[dwbevan]

All of the above are true although they say they think it is a herpatic virus in the nerve of the eye did not give it a name. This is the second outbreak in 3 years resulting in viral, bacterial and fungal infecton and an epitheliom that did not want to heal and the need for my second corneal transplant when I return home. For now I am trying not to stress (easier here than home), polarized sunglasses and hat when outside, because of infection risk - no pool and acyclovir 2 pills a day as insurance won't cover the Valtrex anymore. My doctor also is adding Zymar - a new drug used over in Europe for a long time, but finally approved here - it is anti-viral drop used once a day. Have the drug but not using it yet. Is the 1000 mg. of L-Lysine over the counter or prescription? What is the purpose? I will check with my doctor to see if I should add it. Thank you for sharing - I hope after this time I go much longer than 3 years. Do you have a specialist here - are you here? Debbie