Individuals suffering from keratoconus experience vision problems due to difficulty focusing, making it difficult to perform many everyday tasks. To find out more about keratoconus and how vision correction treatments can help provide clear sight, keep reading.
What is Keratoconus?
- Keratoconus is a condition in which the cornea of the eye thins, growing into a cone-like shape that distorts incoming light and causes significant disruptions in vision called astigmatism. The difficulty focusing caused by keratoconus makes tasks such as reading, driving, and watching TV difficult, resulting in the necessitation of vision correction techniques such as glasses, contacts, or laser eye surgery. While keratoconus is not extremely common, it is estimated to affect one out of every 2,000 people and can be diagnosed as early as the later teenage years. Symptoms include blurry or distorted vision, as well as sensitivity to glare and bright lights.
How is Keratoconus Treated?
- Early on, the myopia or astigmatism caused by keratoconus can be treated with corrective lenses such as glasses or contacts. While soft contacts may be used for early vision correction, eventually rigid gas permeable contacts—also known simply as hard contacts—are the best choice. Hard contact lenses specifically designed to correct keratoconus will provide better fit and better vision correction than soft contacts.
Can It Be Treated With Surgery?
- Generally corrective lenses are sufficient to treat keratoconus, but in 15-20% of cases patients can benefit from corneal transplant surgery to replace your misshapen cornea with a healthy one. However, eye surgery is usually only recommended when contacts fail to correct vision sufficiently for daily tasks or work.
Don’t let vision problems affect your quality of life—visit Boston Laser for comprehensive eye care and vision correction today. Our experienced eye surgeons are at the forefront of vision correction techniques and offer state-of-the-art eye care for you and your family. For more information about us, visit us on the web or call (617) 566-0062.
