Keratoconus Specialists in Nagaral, Bagalkote, Karnataka

What is Keratoconus?

Keratoconus is a progressive eye disorder in which the normally round, dome-shaped cornea gradually thins and bulges outward into an irregular cone shape, distorting light entering the eye. This structural change causes increasingly blurred and distorted vision that becomes difficult to fully correct with standard eyeglasses as the disease advances. It typically begins during the teenage years or early adulthood and can progress over one to two decades before often stabilizing. The exact underlying cause is not fully understood, though genetic predisposition and chronic eye rubbing are strongly linked to its onset and progression.

Causes of Keratoconus

Keratoconus results from progressive structural weakening of the collagen fibers that give the cornea its shape and rigidity, causing it to thin and bulge outward. It is strongly associated with chronic eye rubbing, a family history of the condition, certain connective tissue disorders, and allergic conditions that cause frequent eye irritation. Genetic factors are believed to play a significant role, with the condition sometimes clustering within families.

Symptoms of Keratoconus

progressively blurred or distorted vision, increased sensitivity to light and glare, frequent changes in eyeglass prescription, difficulty seeing at night, eye strain and headaches, halos around lights, sudden episodes of eye swelling and pain in advanced cases

Treatment & Types of Keratoconus in Nagaral, Bagalkote, Karnataka

In early stages, glasses or soft contact lenses correct vision adequately, while rigid gas-permeable or scleral contact lenses are often needed as the cornea becomes more irregular. Corneal collagen cross-linking, a procedure that strengthens corneal tissue using riboflavin drops and ultraviolet light, is used to halt disease progression in active cases. In advanced disease where vision cannot be corrected adequately with lenses, corneal transplant surgery may be required to restore functional vision.

Keratoconus is generally classified by severity into mild, moderate, and severe stages based on the degree of corneal steepening and thinning measured by corneal topography, which determines whether glasses, contact lenses, cross-linking, or transplant surgery is the appropriate treatment. It can also be described as unilateral or, more commonly, bilateral, affecting both eyes often asymmetrically, and as stable or progressive depending on whether the cornea continues to change shape over time.

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