Keratoconus is a condition in which the normally round cornea thins out and bulges like a cone. This prevents light that enters the eye from being focused correctly on the retina, resulting in distorted vision that makes daily tasks like reading and driving very difficult. To give you a better understanding of this condition, a trusted eye doctor breaks down the causes, symptoms as well as treatment methods for keratoconus.
What Causes Keratoconus?
Despite doctors studying the condition for decades, keratoconus remains poorly understood. What most of us believe, however, is that predisposition to develop this disease is present at birth. Age may also increase the risk of its development as well as chronic eye inflammation due to allergies and chronic eye rubbing.
What Are the Symptoms?
Many patients are unaware that they have the disease until it progresses. The earliest symptom is a slight blurring of vision. Other symptoms include glare and halos around lights, clouding of vision, difficulty seeing at night and increased sensitivity to bright lights. If you experience any of these symptoms, we recommend that you see an eye doctor right away.
How Is Keratoconus Treated?
Treatment for keratoconus depends on the severity of the condition. The treatment for the early stages of keratoconus includes eyeglasses to treat nearsightedness and astigmatism. Progressive keratoconus can be treated by corneal collagen cross-linking while advanced keratoconus may include a corneal transplant where a donor cornea replaces the patient’s damaged cornea. Unfortunately, there is no known prevention method for keratoconus.
Alderwood Optical & Canyon Park Vision Clinic is a full-service eye-care clinic serving patients in Kirkland and Redmond, WA, as well as the surrounding areas. If you would like to schedule an appointment with a trusted eye doctor, please give us a call at (425) 771-8472. Alternatively, you may fill out our contact form and one of our team members will get back to you as soon as possible.