Keratoconus is a progressive eye disease that affects the cornea of your eye, causing it to thin and bulge into an odd, cone-like shape. The cornea refracts light that comes into your eye. Irregularities in your cornea can cause problems with your vision. The answers to the following FAQs from Danville Eye Center can help you learn more about keratoconus symptoms and treatment so you can make wise eye care decisions.
How Did I Get Keratoconus?
The exact cause of keratoconus is unknown, although researchers have come up with some possibilities, including allergies, hereditary factors, oxidative damage to corneal tissues, and persistent rubbing of your eyes.
What Are Some Symptoms of This Condition?
Keratoconus can cause blurred vision, sensitivity to light, halos, eye strain, and eye irritations that lead to excessive rubbing. You may also experience headaches or pain around your eyes.
How Do I Know if I Have Keratoconus?
If you’re experiencing vision problems, contact your Danville/Liberty/Mount Vernon eye doctor to schedule an examination. If we suspect keratoconus, we will test you for this condition. A corneal topography test is used to confirm keratoconus and follow its progression.
Can Keratoconus Cause Blindness?
Although keratoconus can impair your vision, it doesn’t directly cause blindness. True blindness is caused by damage to the retina or optic nerve of your eye. In severe cases, however, keratoconus can lead to “legal” blindness or low vision, making it difficult to perform daily tasks.
How Is Keratoconus Treated?
Visual impairments caused by keratoconus can be corrected with specialized contact lenses, as prescription glasses are incapable of fixing vision problems caused by the irregular corneas. Your eye doctor may also recommend corneal cross-linking or surgical treatment when contacts are no longer effective for correcting your sight.
What Is Corneal Cross-Linking?
Corneal cross-linking is a process that uses medicated eye drops and UV light to strengthen corneal tissues by adding bonds in between the fibers of your eye to keep the cornea from protruding further. The bonds act like “support beams” to stabilize the cornea of your eye and delay the progression of the disease.
What Kind of Contacts Can I Wear if I Have Keratoconus?
Hard to fit contacts like Rigid Gas Permeable (RGP) lenses and scleral lenses are viable options for people with keratoconus as both help to improve your sight. Technological advances with Hybrid contacts enable you to benefit from the clarity of high-oxygen RGP lenses and comfort of soft lenses to maximize your sight.
Talk to Our Danville Eye Center Optometrist about Keratoconus Diagnosis and Treatment
Contact Danville Eye Center at 859-236-8644 today for keratoconus diagnosis and treatment. For your convenience, we serve residents in Danville, Liberty, Mount Vernon, Harrodsburg, and the surrounding communities.