What Is Keratoconus and How Is It Treated?
Keratoconus is a progressive condition that affects the cornea of your eyes. While keratoconus can significantly impact your vision, it can be treated at Atlantic Eyecare in Virginia Beach, VA.
What Is Keratoconus?
The cornea is the outer layer of your eye. It's clear, and made up of water and collagen. The cornea focuses light on your retina so you can see clearly. Keratoconus causes the cornea to become thinner, and bulge into a cone shape. This causes changes to your vision, as the new distorted cone shape of your corneas does not focus light as it should.
Symptoms of Keratoconus
The first sign you have keratoconus is typically blurry vision that is hard to correct. You may also notice that it's hard to see at night. You may have glare when looking at bright lights and light sensitivity as well. Other symptoms include headaches, eye irritation, and poor or cloudy vision.
Keratoconus usually begins in puberty. It can progress until you reach your mid 30s. Then, it usually stops getting worse. You may experience severe progression or little to no progression as the years pass. Both eyes are usually affected, with one typically being worse than the other.
Treatment for Keratoconus
Treating keratoconus begins with diagnosing the condition. Your optometrist will perform an eye exam to make this diagnosis. He may also use corneal topography, which creates a digital picture of your cornea.
The first treatment for the condition is simple vision correction. This can be accomplished with glasses or contacts. As the disease gets worse, hard contact lenses are the best option. Corneal collagen cross-linking can help slow the progression or even improve your vision. This simple procedure can be performed in your eye doctor's office in less than an hour. Severe cases can be treated with a corneal transplant.
Keratoconus Treatment at Atlantic Eyecare
If you have keratoconus or any other vision problems in Virginia Beach, VA, contact our doctor of optometry at Atlantic Eyecare.