What Is Keratoconus? (Causes and Treatments)
What Is Keratoconus? (Causes and Treatments)
Understanding “Keratoconus”
A thin cornea is a sign of keratoconus, a condition that occurs when the clear tissue covering the colored cornea becomes thinner. The bulge looks like a cone. When we speak of keratoconus we are referring to a cornea that appears to be conical.
This is what the diagnosis means when we look at the origin of the term, kerato in Greek means cornea and cones means cone. DeCarlo Optometry offers a Keratoconus treatment to improve vision. Would you rather have a distorted vision than a good vision? DeCarlo Optometry has the services that will satisfy your needs.
Contrary to this, a human cornea is more spherical, having the shape of a cut-in-half basketball. Today’s technology makes it much easier to determine the shape of the cornea accurately than it used to be. In its most basic form, the Pentacam® measures the shape and thickness of the cornea simultaneously. The tool is useful because keratoconus manifests a conic shape in a corneal area of thin tissue, displaying a twin nature.
The Causes of Keratoconus
The patient begins to ask, “What caused it to happen?” After understanding what an FDP is, he or she asks, “Why did it happen?”. This is when things get a little complicated.
A definitive reason for keratoconus has not been determined, but theories suggest the condition may be because of family history/family tree. Genetic factors are considered to be responsible for the condition by most people.
Parents with keratoconus are more likely to monitor their children closely for keratoconus symptoms. As well as atopic conditions, allergic hypersensitivity has also been linked to atopic conditions.
There are several conditions that may cause allergic reactions, including allergic dermatitis, allergic asthma, and allergic conjunctivitis. This situation does not recommend to every individual with an allergy who is at risk for keratoconus progress.
However, those with highly sensitive skin may be more prone to keratoconus development. A constant rubbing of itchy eyes is believed to cause keratoconus, and eye rubbing can become a habit for people who have atopic diseases. The cause of keratoconus is unknown, although it is likely that rubbing the dry eyes and eyes straining results in the condition. Doing eye exercises can help sometimes and using eye drops can cure your macular degeneration in a small amount of time. Retinal detachment is different because the causes of it are aging and eye injury.
Optional Keratoconus Treatments
The last thing the patient asks is, “How can I overcome it?”. There is no single answer to this question since it is determined by the severity of the condition. When people with keratoconus are in their early stages, the contact lens can often be used for correcting vision, some people try to get vision therapy sometimes to be sure.
For most people, gas permeable lenses, commonly referred to as “hard” contact lenses, are the most appropriate type of lens to use rather than soft contact lenses. Surgery may eventually be required for keratoconus treatment as the condition worsens.
It is possible to use corneal implants to decrease the amount of bulging in the layer of the cornea by modifying its shape. Implants of this type have been shown to assist in improving vi, and they are also removable in case removal is needed in the future. Finally, keratoconus corneal transplantation is considered necessary to treat the condition when it becomes severe. For the patients with keratoconus, using a rigid gas permeable lens may result in the achievement of functional vision.
Crosslinking in Cornea
Introducing FDA-approved corneal collagen cross-linking (CXL), a new technology that you should know about that can improve your eyesight. By reducing corneal transplantation, cornea cross-linking may decrease the number of people who are required to get cornea transplants. During this process, corneal tissue becomes stronger and thus prevents thinned or bulged corneas from occurring further.
The cornea is strengthened by ultraviolet light while riboflavin (Vitamin B2) is absorbed in the cornea. A corneal transplant is the only treatment that can cure keratoconus. However, it can stop the disease from progressing to a point that requires corneal transplant surgery.
Cross-linking the cornea can take place in two different ways. Epi-OFF is the first form of treatment that removes the outer surface of the cornea. As for the second procedure, Epi-ON, which reduces risk factors of infection and scarring by not removing the outer corneal layer, is less painful, recovers significantly faster, and will result in a much less painful recovery process.
Planning to get your Keratoconus and dry eyes treated?
Come and visit our website to book an appointment
- Contact Us Today!: (714) 996-1136
DeCarlo Optometry provides the following services:
Other Articles We’ve Chosen for You!:
