What is Keratoconus?
Your cornea is the clear, dome-shaped surface at the front of your eye that focuses light into the eye. Keratoconus is when the cornea progressively thins and bulges outward, forming a cone shape.
Keratoconus Symptoms
Keratoconus often affects both eyes, and symptoms can often differ in each eye.
In the early stage, symptoms can include: mild blurring of vision, slightly distorted vision, increased sensitivity to light and glare, eye redness or swelling.
In later stages, symptoms often include: more blurry and distorted vision, increased nearsightedness or astigmatism, not being able to wear traditional contact lenses.
Signs of keratoconus typically begin when people are in their late teens to early 20s and can advance into a person’s 30s. Keratoconus usually takes years to progress from early to late stage, although some individuals can get worse quickly.
Keratoconus Diagnosis
Keratoconus can be diagnosed through a comprehensive eye exam. During this exam we will take specialized measurements of your cornea to examine it’s curvature and the condition of the cornea’s surface. Annual monitoring is strongly recommended to detect early changes.
Treatment and Management
Effectively managing this condition requires specialized treatment which ranges from vision correction to surgical intervention.
- Do not rub your eyes!
With keratoconus, try to avoid rubbing your eyes. This can damage thin corneal tissue and make your symptoms worse. If you have itchy eyes that cause you to rub, speak to us about medicines to control those symptoms.
- Specialized Contact Lenses – Scleral Lenses
People with keratoconus are often fit with a rigid gas-permeable contact lens called scleral lenses. These lenses hold their shape firmly, yet allow oxygen to flow through the lens to your eye. Scleral lenses provide a smooth, artificial surface for the light to pass through freely. Scleral lenses rest on the white part of the eye (the sclera) and vault over the corneal irregularities present.
- Corneal Cross-Linking
Dr. Pulis may refer you to an ophthalmologist that uses a special UV light and eye drops to strengthen the collagen fibers within the cornea.