About Keratoconus

 What is Keratoconus?

 

Keratoconus (KC) is a progressive eye disease in which the normally round cornea thins and begins to bulge into a cone-like shape. This cone shape deflects light as it enters the eye on its way to the light-sensitive retina, causing distorted vision.

 

KC sometimes appears to run in families. If you have it and have children, it’s a good idea to have their eyes checked for it starting at age 10. The Charity Committee done a survey of members 10 years ago and they found only 13% had anyone else in the family with KC. It seems that quite a few genes all have to come together for someone to develop KC, so although there is a lot of genetic research going on to try to identify them, what they call 'random' KC is actually more common than familial KC.

The condition happens more often in people with certain medical problems, including certain allergic conditions. It's possible the condition could be related to chronic eye rubbing. Most often, though, there is no eye injury or disease that can explain why the eye starts to change.

 

KC usually starts in the teenage years. It can, though, begin in childhood or in people up to about age 30. It's possible it can occur in people 40 and older, but that is less common.

 

The changes in the shape of the cornea can happen quickly or may occur over several years. The changes can result in blurred vision, glare and halos at night, and the streaking of lights.

 

The changes can stop at any time, or they can continue for decades. In most people who have KC, both eyes are eventually affected, although not always to the same extent. It usually develops in one eye first and then later in the other eye.

Can Keratoconus damage vision?

 

The changes to the cornea can make it impossible for the eye to focus without glasses or hard contact lenses. In fact, a corneal transplant may be needed to restore vision if the condition is severe.

How is Keratoconus diagnosed?

 

KC changes vision in two ways:

 

·         As the cornea changes from a ball shape to a cone shape, the smooth surface becomes slightly wavy. This is called irregular astigmatism.

 

·         As the front of the cornea expands, vision becomes more nearsighted. That is, only nearby objects can be seen clearly. Anything too far away will look like a blur.

 

An eye doctor may notice symptoms during an eye exam. You may also mention symptoms that could be caused by KC. These include:

 

·         Sudden change of vision in just one eye

·         Double vision when looking with just one eye

·         Objects both near and far looking distorted

·         Bright lights looking like they have halos around them

·         Lights streaking

·         Seeing triple ghost images

 

How is Keratoconus treated?

 

·        Collagen Cross Linking treatment (custom-made riboflavin drops saturate the cornea, which is then activated by     ultraviolet light)

·        Glasses or soft contact lenses

·        Hard contact lenses

·        Cornea transplant