While keratoconus can happen at any stage of life, young people between the ages of 10 and 25 are most likely to develop this disorder. For individuals with keratoconus, their cornea, the clear layer in the front of your eye, gradually thins and begins to bulge outward. Keratoconus typically causes nearsightedness and astigmatism in both eyes.

The first signs of keratoconus are rapid changes in vision that require frequent adjusting of prescription lenses. Other symptoms include increased sensitivity to light, eyes strain and irritation, halos around lights at night, headaches and an incessant urge to rub your eyes. Eventually, the corneas become noticeably cone shaped.

Keratoconus is the most common type of corneal dystrophy, or degenerative corneal disorder. It affects one in every 2,000 Americans, according to the National Eye Institute.

Diagnosis

Many symptoms of keratoconus are similar to those of other corneal disorders, especially during the onset of the condition. This makes keratoconus difficult to diagnose.

Nonetheless, to diagnose keratoconus, ophthalmologists use a slit lamp to inspect your cornea at the microscopic level. Telltale signs of keratoconus include corneal thinning, an iron-colored ring around the cone-shaped cornea, stress lines and scarring at the top of the cone. Your eye doctor will also use instruments and lights to measure the curvature of your cornea.

Causes and Risk Factors

Researchers are not exactly sure why some people develop keratoconus. Leading theories center on genetics, environment and hormones. Some scientists have noted a slightly higher chance of developing keratoconus if a family member has it, but this correlation has not been proven with absolute certainty. Possible environmental causes include allergies that lead to excessive eye rubbing or poorly fitted contact lenses. Some researchers hypothesize that keratoconus is related to the endocrine system (the collection of glands that secrete certain hormones), because the onset often happens at puberty and worsens during pregnancy.

Treatment

Usually, the cornea stabilizes, so vision can be corrected with glasses or contacts. But between 10 and 20 percent of people with keratoconus will have more severe problems that require an alternative form of treatment, such as the following

Corneal Crosslinking. Healthy corneas keep their shape because cross-linked collagen fibers serve as supports. Corneal collagen cross-linking (CXL) involves saturating the cornea with riboflavin drops and activating them with an ultraviolet light. This strengthens the cornea by increasing the amount of collagen cross-linking. While CXL doesn’t cure keratoconus, it can arrest the progress of the disorder.

Intacs Surgery. Your eye doctor may suggest inserting Intacs, extremely thin plastic semi-circles. These flatten the cornea, improving vision. You may or may not still need to wear prescription lenses after Intacs surgery.

Corneal transplant. If keratoconus progresses until the cornea is too thin or scarred to tolerate contacts, your ophthalmologist may recommend a corneal transplant. According to the National Eye Institute, this operation is successful in more than 90 percent of those suffering from advanced keratoconus.

If you are experiencing signs of keratoconus, call us so we can diagnose your vision condition and suggest an appropriate plan of action for your visual needs.

If you find yourself experiencing blurred or distorted vision that seems to get worse year after year, you may suffer from an irregularity of the cornea known as keratoconus. This condition is infamous for causing astigmatism and nearsightedness that can progress rapidly, calling for constant updates to your corrective lens prescription. Fortunately, several treatment options are available to help you cope with keratoconus.

Causes and Symptoms

While medical science has no clear explanation for the cause of keratoconus, the condition occurs more frequently in people who rub their eyes a lot, have worn contacts habitually for many years, or have certain genetic disorders such as Down syndrome. Pregnant women are also known to develop keratoconus, which might indicate that endocrine system imbalances are involved. The condition occurs when corneal tissue grows unusually weak or thin. This allows it to lose its perfectly spherical shape and take on more a cone-like outward bulge. A cornea deformed in this manner cannot refract incoming light in a way that creates an accurate image for the retina.

Keratoconus usually appears between late childhood and the mid-20s, at which point it may progress for many years. The progression is characteristically dramatic, with sufferers having to get new lens prescriptions practically every time they see their eye care provider. Blurred vision is the obvious primary symptom, but in some cases eyesight can also become hazy or cloudy if a rupture at the rear of the cornea occurs. Patients also find that their eyes grow increasingly sensitive to bright light.

Diagnosis and Treatment

The vision problems caused by mild to moderate keratoconus can usually be corrected through such conventional methods as eyeglasses and soft contacts. More stubborn cases may require gas-permeable rigid contacts, scleral lenses, or custom-made silicon hydrogel soft contacts. Some sufferers even “piggyback” a gas permeable lens on top of a hydrogel lens to achieve an optimal balance between vision accuracy and comfort.

Traditional laser surgeries such as LASIK are not usually recommended for keratoconus patients, but other types of structural correction may provide the desired vision correction. Intacs, tiny corneal inserts implanted just below the corneal surface to flatten out the cone-like curve, can be inserted in a minimally invasive surgery. Even the most extreme cases can be treated with a corneal transplant. However mild or severe your keratoconus, your eye care professional can help you understand your treatment options and devise an effective treatment plan.