what is keratoconus

Keratoconus occurs when your cornea — the clear, dome-shaped front surface of your eye — thins and gradually bulges outward into a cone shape.

A cone-shaped cornea causes blurred vision and may cause sensitivity to light and glare. Keratoconus usually affects both eyes, though it often affects one eye more than the other. It generally begins to affect people between the ages of 10 and 25. The condition may progress slowly for 10 years or longer.

MONITORING:

It important to regularly monitor keratoconus for progression.

-A Topographer (eye Mapping) measures the SHAPE of your cornea

-An OCT measures your corneal thickness.  As the cornea becomes more "conical", it also thins as the disease progresses.

At South Barrie Eye Clinic, we have diagnosed and treated hundreds  of Keratoconus patients from a large geographical area since 2000.

CONTACT LENSES: 

The BEST treatment option for optimizing vision is by fitting SCLERAL LENSES.  These lenses provide most patients with a significant improvement in vision as well as comfort.  Glasses do not provide adequate vision in most cases because of the irregular shape of the eye.

Corneal Cross Linking (CXL): Is a simple non invasive procedure that STOPS the progression of Keratoconus.  Scleral lenses are often still used as this does not correct Keratoconus, it simply STOPS it from getting worse.

Corneal Transplants: Since Corneal Cross Linking was introduced in the mid 2000's, we do not often need to do transplants.  This is only done when the condition is too advanced and the cornea is too thin or has scar tissue as a result of the condition.  However, we have excellent corneal surgeons in Ontario who specialize in these cases.