Keratoconus Treatment in Denver, CO
Understanding Keratoconus
What is keratoconus?
Keratoconus (also known as corneal ectasia) is a disease of the cornea, the clear front outer surface of the eye. Keratoconus affects 1 in 500 to 1 in 2,000 people in the general population. Its cause is unknown.
What happens in keratoconus?
Physiologically there is a breakdown of the inner tissue or layers of the cornea, called stroma, which weakens the corneal structure and due to one’s normal eye pressure, begins to push outward creating a cone or bulge on the cornea. The cone or bulge causes the light entering the eye to become scattered, distorting the way you see images. In advanced stages, seeing becomes extremely difficult
Keratoconus often starts during one’s teenage years, although there have been cases reported starting both earlier in life and later. Biological changes such as puberty or pregnancy can trigger the disease. It is most often affects both eyes and there can be a delay of up to five years before the second eye begins to show symptoms.
What are the symptoms of keratoconus?
The most common symptom of keratoconus is fluctuating vision. A new set of contact lenses or glasses may provide crisp, clear vision but only for a short period of time. Within three months to one year your vision is no longer acceptable and a visit to your doctor is again required.
Because of the irregular surface of the cornea, glasses and standard contact lenses only work for mild cases of keratoconus. If the disease progresses, custom made hard contact lenses, known as RGP or rigid gas permeable lens, are often used.
Other symptoms include
Double vision
Light sensitivity
Glare at night
How do you diagnose keratoconus?
Dr. Pennington perform a complete eye exam and will review a topographical map of the cornea (as pictured), along with other refractive measurements, which will confirm you have keratoconus.
How do you treat keratoconus?
Corneal Cross-linking
Corneal cross-linking (CXL) is an FDA approved treatment for mild to moderate keratoconus. It is a minimally invasive procedure that helps flatten and strengthen the cornea which allows for both improved tolerance of contacts and glasses as well as potentially the ability to have further laser vision correction. Additionally corneal cross linking will help stop the progression of keratoconus. If you suffer from keratoconus and want to learn more about CXL, please book a consultation with Dr. Pennington.
Intacs
Intacs are small half ring segments that can be implanted into the cornea. They help to flatten the corneal steepness, provide a strong, peripheral foundation for the cornea and reduce the glasses or contact prescription. This reversible procedure takes about 10 minutes per eye and is painless. After the surgery vision without correction improves and ideally a patient would be able to tolerate glasses or soft contact lenses.
Corneal Transplant
Corneal transplant is the most invasive correction of keratoconus, it involves removing the unhealthy cornea and replacing with a healthy donor cornea. It is the oldest treatment for keratoconus.
