Keratoconus is a progressive eye disease that reshapes the cornea and bounces off light as it enters your eye and through to the light-sensitive retina. It can cause distorted vision in the people who suffer from it. If your vision has been impaired at different points of the day, it could be a sign that you have keratoconus, but this isn’t the only symptom to look out for.

Keratoconus Symptoms To Look Out For

Keratoconus can either occur in one or both of your eyes, and it usually begins during a person’s teens or early 20s. As the disease progresses, the signs and symptoms of keratoconus may change.

The symptoms are blurred or distorted vision, an increase in light sensitivity, and glare, which can cause problems when you drive at night. If you need to frequently change your eyeglass prescriptions, or you’re suffering from a sudden worsening or cloudy vision, then you may be experiencing the early signs of keratoconus.

If your eyesight is worsening rapidly, it might be caused by astigmatism and indicates that you need to see your ophthalmologist. As your cornea morphs into an irregular shape, it can enhance the development of progressive nearsightedness and irregular astigmatism, which further creates additional problems with distorted and blurred vision. Glare and light sensitivity also may occur.

There is new research that suggests that the weakening of the corneal tissue that leads to keratoconus may be caused due to an imbalance of enzymes present within the cornea. The asymmetry makes the cornea more susceptible to oxidative damage from compounds called free radicals, which causes it to weaken and bulge forward.

Here Are Some Of The Treatments That You Can Choose

1. Corneal Crosslinking

It is also called corneal collagen cross-linking, strengthens corneal tissue to halt bulging of the eye’s surface in keratoconus.

2. Custom Soft Contact Lenses

Recently, contact lens manufacturers have introduced custom soft contact lenses specially designed to correct mild-to-moderate keratoconus. These lenses are made-to-order based on detailed measurements of the person’s keratoconic eye and may be more comfortable than gas permeable lenses or hybrid contact lenses for some wearers.

3. Gas Permeable Contact Lenses

Gas permeable contact lenses is a treatment that is considered when other options cease to work. These lenses vault over the cornea, by replacing its irregular shape with a smooth, uniform refracting surface to improve your vision.

4. Hybrid Contact Lenses

Hybrid lenses are designed for keratoconus and the central gas permeable zone of the lens vaults over the cone-shaped cornea for increased comfort. Hybrid contact lenses provide the crisp optics of a gas permeable contact lens and wearing comfort that rivals that of soft lenses, according to SynergEyes.

Surgery To Treat Keratoconus

You may require surgery if you have corneal scarring, extreme thinning of your cornea, poor vision with the most potent prescription lenses or an inability to wear any contact lenses. Several surgeries are available for you to choose from, depending on the location of the bulging cone and the severity of your condition. Your doctor will discuss the options available to you during a consultation.

1. Corneal Inserts.

During this surgery, your doctor places little, bright, crescent-shaped plastic inserts into your cornea to flatten the cone, support the shape of your cornea, and improve your vision.

They can restore your cornea to a more normal shape, slow down the progress of the disease and reduce the need for a cornea transplant.

2. Cornea transplant.

The Cornea transplant is an option that you can consider if you have scarring or your cornea that has gone through extreme thinning. A cornea transplant to treat keratoconus disease is generally very successful, but there are precautions to any surgery that you will need to take into account. Your doctor will discuss the surgery in greater detail during a consultation

Contact Our Office

If you’re suffering from the early symptoms of keratoconus, it’s important to get treated by a skilled ophthalmologist as soon as possible. Contact Patel Eye Associates to learn more about the treatments available to you with highly skilled vision specialists.