The cornea is the front portion of the eye and in most patients is a round clear dome. Because it is round and clear it lets light into the eye and this is integral to good vision. However, in some patients the cornea can assume an abnormal shape. When this shape becomes like a cone the diagnosis is called Keratoconus. . And because, in this condition, the cornea is irregularly shaped, a patient with this problem has distorted vision.
Depending upon the severity of this, some patients can see well with glasses. If it is slightly more advanced glasses will not provide good quality vision and patients can be fit with specialty contact lenses. One of the lenses we specialize in fitting is known as a scleral contact lens, and frequently, we can use this lens to provide excellent quality vision.
However, in some patients the abnormal shape wont allow comfortable and successful fitting of a contact lens. In the past these patients were taken to the operating room for a cornea transplant where the cornea was removed and a new donor cornea was placed on the eye. This surgery frequently had a long recovery with variable visual results. And, patients who had this surgery ( like many patients who receive transplants) are at risk of rejecting the donor cornea. Recently however there been successful advances which have decreased the necessity of cornea transplant surgery.
One of these great advances is cornea cross-linking. In the corneal cross-linking procedure, riboflavin drops are placed on the cornea and the cornea is then imply exposed to ultraviolet light for approximately 30 minutes. The riboflavin is activated by the ultraviolet light and, in effect, stiffens the cornea. A stiff cornea is much less likely to deform in the future, and at Stahl we are very excited about this new technology that we can use successfully to stabilize patients with this illness.
Another treatment option for patients is Intacs . Intacs are synthetic segments that can be placed into the cornea using our laser and these can help decrease the deformity of the cornea.
The great news is that Stahl has all this technology to help our patients with corneal deformities such as keratoconus. We encourage you to make an appointment to see which of these exciting technologies may benefit you.
