Living with Keratoconus

LJMU graduate puts spotlight on threat from rare eye disease

MNL reporter SASKIA FRYER speaks to a former LJMU student about how he copes with the rare eye disease Keratoconus

Aformer LJMU journalism student has been using his social media to raise awareness about a rare eye condition he suffers from called Keratoconus.

This condition is when the cornea, the clear outer lens of the eye, no longer holds its round shape and starts to bulge outward into a cone- like shape.

This can have a detrimental effect to a person’s eyesight as this can cause blurred vision making it difficult to perform everyday tasks. Also, if not treated immediately can lead to the condition getting worse and even losing your eyesight.

David Diangienda, who graduated last year, found out he had keratoconus in November 2021, this was after he went for his regular check-up at the opticians the previous year. From this appointment, the optician found something in David’s eye, yet they were unsure what it was, so they referred him for a hospital appointment.

He said: “I had trouble trying to see out of one eye and had to wait over a year to get an appointment at the hospital, which wasn’t until March this year. I knew if I left this any longer something serious might happen.” Due to the covid-19 pandemic, it made the situation difficult to get medical assistance as hospitals across the nation were experiencing a back log of people needing appointments.

However, after finally getting to see a doctor, David was able to get the specific treatment to help his eye condition which was receiving cross-linking surgery. This is the process of using both eye drops and ultraviolet light from a specific machine to help strengthen the eyes cornea.

The doctors told him that this procedure would hopefully reduce the effects of this condition by 95%. He said: “Having this procedure was the best thing I did but it came with a price. After the surgery, the pain in my eye was unbearable for two to three days”.

Because of the journey having this condition has taken him, he wants to raise awareness to people about how important it is to get your eyes tested regularly and what can happen if you leave it too long.

Through using Instagram and YouTube, David has been documenting what is has been like living with keratoconus by posting pictures of before and after having the surgery on his eyes. He said: “I want to show the impact it can have on you mentally as well, but things do get better. I think it’s really important to document this and use my experience to campaign about this.” Keratoconus has affected him in both of his eyes which means that he must have regular checks to ensure the condition isn’t worsening.

According to the NHS, this affects 1 in 3000 to 1 in 10,000 people which goes to show how rare this is. The exact cause of this condition is still unknown to health professionals, yet it has been suggested that it can mostly affect those genetically or of a certain ethnicity.

He said: “I was never aware of it myself; I’m still learning about it. That’s why I’m raising awareness about it to show how serious it can

More people are being encouraged to get their eyes tested.

‘The worst thing that can happen is you losing be if left untreated, the worst thing that can happen is you losing your eyesight completely.” Keratoconus is a lifelong condition, which may lead to David having to undertake more surgery such as a cornea transplant. This is the procedure where a corPhoto: David Travis/Unsplash nea from a healthy eye of an individyour eyesight completely’ ual who has died is used to replace a certain layer on a person’s eye: “The worst thing that can happen from all this is me getting a cornea transplant and it’s a thought that goes through my mind a lot.” Moving forward, David still takes medication to help his condition and reduce any further complications. He said: “I pray that it doesn’t get any worse and I can still do everyday activities.” With his daily job working at a café, he is proving to the minority dealing with this extremely rare eye disease, that it doesn’t have to dictate your life and there are ways to prevent this from happening. You can follow David’s journey on Instagram at bantz.david and on Youtube at Madman.TV.