Keratoconus
El Keratoconus is a degenerative corneal disease that causes the thinning of the cornea, the central part bulging and giving the cone shape.
When a keratoconus occurs, a irregular astigmatism and vision is affected producing blurred vision. He treatment in the most advanced cases keratoconus we found the surgical ones like the crosslinking, the implementation of intrastromal rings or cornea transplant.
Keratoconus
El Keratoconus is a degenerative corneal disease that causes the thinning of the cornea, the central part bulging and giving the cone shape.
When a keratoconus occurs, a irregular astigmatism and vision is affected producing blurred vision. He treatment in the most advanced cases keratoconus we found the surgical ones like the crosslinking, the implementation of intrastromal rings or cornea transplant.
What is keratoconus?
El Keratoconus is an eye disease in which the cornea, which in a normal state has a circular shape, progressively thins and bulges forward, adopting a cone shape.
This anomalous form makes the light that enters the eye and that I should go to the retina end up deviating, which can cause a serious vision distortion. The pathology can occur in one or both eyes.
This condition must be treated by a specialized ophthalmologist in corneal problems. To prevent its progression it is important to recognize your symptoms and go to a specific review if we suspect its presence.
Causes of keratoconus
Our causes of keratoconus they are not yet known exactly, however there are several related factors that increase the possibility of suffering from it.
Un 10% of cases occur in patients with family history of keratoconus, so it is believed that the genetic factor It can influence your appearance.
There are other conditions that increase the chances of manifesting, between them:
- El frequent use of ill-fitting contact lenses, especially when they are the hard type. This can cause friction with the cornea by thinning it over time.
- The habit of rubbing your eyes frequently vigorously. We know that it is closely related to the appearance of this disease, leading to progressive thinning of the cornea.
- Frequently suffer from conditions such as eye allergies y allergic conjunctivitis, which can lead to the habit of vigorously rubbing your eyes.
- The presence of some diseases such as Síndrome de Down, imperfect osteogenesis or the Leber congenital amaurosis They are also linked to the appearance of this eye condition.
Keratoconus symptoms
This disease is usually from slow progression, so the obvious deformation of the cornea will not occur until long after the first signs appear.
The keratoconus symptoms are:
- Progressive myopia and irregular astigmatism. Patients with this condition see their diopter increase without the refractive error stabilizing. When the condition has advanced, the astigmatism It can no longer be treated with glasses or contact lenses, one of the classic signs of the disease.
- These changes produce blurred vision y image distortion.
- You can also experience sensitivity to light y glare.
- In some patients, the visual distortion leads to suffering from diplopia or double vision.
Whenever we present refractive errors that evolve rapidly and blurred vision despite the use of glasses or contact lensesIt is important to go to an ophthalmologist for a complete examination that allows to rule out related diseases.
Keratoconus treatment
different keratoconus treatments depending on the phase you are in the disease being the surgical treatment of keratoconus the most used in advanced cases.
According to the specialist's evaluation, the patient may be treated with:
Glasses or contact lenses
When the disease is bit severe, patients are treated successfully with glasses or contact lenses specially designed for keratoconus. This is the case of patients whose vision has not been greatly affected by this condition.
As the disease progresses and irregular astigmatism occurs, it may be necessary to design hard contact lenses Tailored to correct vision.
corneal crosslinking
El keratoconus treatment with crosslinking It is preventive and is used in initial phases, destined to harden the corneal tissue to prevent further thinning. For this, a combination of riboflavin and ultraviolet light is used, which provides greater stability to the cornea.
Can applied alone or combined with the implantation of intracorneal segments annular
Implantation of intrastromal or intracorneal segments
By this surgical treatment is implanted inside the corneal tissue about circular segments to strengthen and re-spherical the cornea. Thus preventing the weakening of this and improving visual quality.
Si combined with corneal crosslinking, the area is also hardened to prevent the progression of the disease.
Corneal transplant or keratoplasty
Corneal transplant is indicated in cases in which the Corneal deformation is advanced and it is not possible to perform any of the aforementioned treatments. Apply only in patients with significant and irreversible corneal damage.
Depending on the case, it is possible to make a keratoplasty partial to reduce the risk of rejection immunological
Keratoconus Prevention
El keratoconus cannot be prevented. However, it is important avoid the habit of vigorously rubbing your eyesespecially when you have allergies in the area.
In the case of patients with a family history of the condition, it is essential to attend annual ophthalmological check-ups in order to detect the disease in its initial stage. The specialist should be aware of the presence of this pathology in the family.
