A rare eye disease, keratoconus is a condition in which irregular projections appear on the surface of the cornea. Typically, the corneal surface is very smooth, structurally similar to a watch crystal. This outgoing lead to distorted vision (like looking through a bumpy piece of glass).
Keratoconus is slowly progressive and begins to manifest in the teens or twenties with reduced vision or visual distortion. It is usually not associated with redness, swelling or other "acute" symptoms, so it may go unnoticed for long periods of time.
Treatment options for keratoconus
The first step in the treatment of keratoconus
Keratoconus leads to myopia (nearsightedness) and astigmatism. In the early stages of the disease or in mild cases, correction, therefore the treatment of keratoconus, is achieved through eyeglasses. Another option for the treatment of mild keratoconus contact lenses are gas permeable. Glasses and gas permeable contact are effective in the treatment of mild keratoconus, but as the disease progresses glasses lose their efficacy in the treatment of keratoconus. Around the base of protrusion iron deposits are formed cornea and corneal tissue becomes thinner.
Second step in the treatment of keratoconus
When glasses are not enough, the next step in the treatment of keratoconus is represented by contact lenses specifically designed keratoconus. There are many types of lenses designed for the treatment of keratoconus: Standard designs of rigid lenses, aspherical lens designs, specifically: Epicon contact lenses, keratoconus Rose K lens, the lens system McGuire, Flexlens (Harrison keratoconus lens tricurve keratoconus, Piggyback Lens System) design Menicon Decentered OZ, Super Nova KC, contact lenses assisted by computer.
Third step in the treatment of keratoconus
For those patients who can not benefit from using contact lenses keratoconus treatment is performed through surgery. Surgical treatment of keratoconus is corneal transplant, also called penetrating keratoplasty. But even after a transplant (corneal graft), the patient will most likely need glasses or contact lenses for clear vision. Keratoconus surgical treatment removes the central portion of the diseased cornea and replaces it with the clear button healthy donor. Button donor cornea is sewn into the defect created by removal of the diseased cornea.
A new surgical technique in the treatment of keratoconus is conductive keratoplasty, which uses minimally invasive radiofrequency energy instead of a laser to reshape the cornea. The procedure takes less than 3 minutes per eye and is painless, involving only administered by topical anesthetic eye drops. CK requires no cutting or removal of corneal tissue.
Versus conventional wave or custom LASIK, IntraLASIK, PRK, LASEK, Epi-LASIK, or any technique of refractive surgery that removes tissue are not an option in the treatment of keratoconus because of the high probability that these procedures may weaken further plus a cornea affected by keratoconus. Therefore, they are contraindicated in keratoconus.
New methods of treatment of keratoconus
Intacs, which were originally used for refractive purposes, represent another option for treatment of keratoconus. They have caused stabilization in patients with keratoconus and may be a good option to reduce the possibility of keratoconus progress. Intacs is indicated as a therapeutic treatment keratoconus, which adds material to the cornea.
A non-invasive treatment of keratoconus, C3-R treatment (riboflavin corneal collagen cross-linking) has been shown to strengthen the weak corneal structure in keratoconus. This method of treating keratoconus works by increasing crosslinked collagen, which are the natural "anchors" within the cornea. These anchors are responsible for preventing the cornea from bulging and becoming steep and irregular (which is the cause of keratoconus).
The future will bring about new and improved methods for the treatment of keratoconus and establish the efficacy of the treatment methods of existing keratoconus.
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