Keratoconus

If you experience distorted vision, blurred vision, or light sensitivity, keratoconus might be to blame. At Eye Luv Lucy Optometry in San Jose, California, Lucy Yen, OD, and her expert team can diagnose and treat keratoconus to help you see better and reduce your risk of worsening vision problems. Call the office to schedule an appointment or book one online today. 

What is keratoconus?

Keratoconus happens when the dome-shaped cornea on the surface of your eye becomes thinner and bulges outward into a cone shape. This can cause blurry vision and other types of vision impairment. 

In its early stage, your eye doctor can usually correct keratoconus-related vision problems, but with advanced stages of keratoconus, you may need a cornea transplant.

What are the symptoms of keratoconus?

Symptoms of keratoconus often include:

• Distorted vision
• Blurry vision
• Light and glare sensitivity
• Problems with night driving
• Frequent changes in eyeglass prescriptions
• Halos around lights at night
• Cloudy vision
• Worsening vision 

Complications associated with keratoconus include scarring on your cornea and the need for cornea transplant surgery.

What are the risk factors for keratoconus?

The cause of keratoconus isn’t entirely clear, though it appears to develop because of genetic and environmental reasons. Risk factors include a family history of keratoconus, vigorously rubbing your eyes, and having Down syndrome, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, asthma, hay fever, or an eye condition called retinitis pigmentosa.

How does my eye doctor diagnose keratoconus?

To diagnose keratoconus and develop an effective treatment, your eye doctor discusses your symptoms and medical history. They also complete a comprehensive eye exam. Vision testing allows your provider to check for vision problems. 

Your specialist may shine light into the surface of your eyes and use a microscope to view them or recommend imaging procedures to get an in-depth view of your corneas.

What are common keratoconus treatments?

Some of the common treatments available for keratoconus include:

Corrective lenses

Eyeglasses and specialty contact lenses can improve your vision when you have keratoconus. Your optometrist personalizes each vision correction treatment to help you see as clearly as possible. Custom-fitted, gas-permeable, scleral lenses rest comfortably on the white part of your eye.

Corneal collagen cross-linking

During corneal collagen cross-linking, your specialist saturates your cornea with riboflavin eye drops and treats them with ultraviolet light. Doing so causes cornea cross-linking, which stiffens the cornea to prevent future shape changes and vision loss.

Surgery

If you have cornea scarring, extreme cornea thinning, poor vision even with prescription lenses, or inability to wear contact lenses, your eye doctor may recommend you undergo surgery to preserve the inside lining of your cornea or replace the cornea.

Don’t live with vision problems due to keratoconus or let the disease progress to advanced stages. Call the Eye Luv Lucy Optometry office or book an appointment online at the first sign of vision changes.