Keratoconus Screening and Management

Keratoconus is an eye condition in which the cornea I.e the clear, dome-shaped front of the eye, gets thinner 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. However, it can affect one eye more than the other. It generally begins to affect people between the late teens and 30 years of age. The condition may progress slowly for 10 years or longer.

In the early stages of keratoconus, vision problems may be corrected with glasses or soft contact lenses. Later, one may have to be fitted with rigid, gas permeable contact lenses or other types of lenses, such as scleral lenses. If the condition gets worse, cornea transplant may be needed.

A procedure called corneal collagen cross-linking may help to slow or stop keratoconus from progressing, possibly preventing the need for a future cornea transplant. This treatment may be offered in addition to the vision correction options above.