La cornea It is the transparent tissue of the ocular structure that allows light to pass from the outside to the inside of the eye to be projected on the retina. For the cornea to be fully functional, it must be transparent and have a specific curvature and thickness.
Corneal ectasia, also known as keratectasia, is a disorder that causes progressive thinning of the cornea and is often accompanied by myopia, astigmatism and loss of visual acuityamong other symptoms. In Área Oftalmológica Avanzada We explain what corneal ectasia is and how it can affect our vision.
What is corneal ectasia?
When we talk about corneal ectasia We can say that it is a pathology that causes progressive thinning of the cornea, which can occur naturally or as a result of a refractive surgery. Over time, the thinning of the cornea deforms the curvature of the tissue.
Types of corneal ectasia
Corneal ectasia can be classified as follows:
Keratoconus
El keratoconus represents one of the most frequent forms of corneal deformation. Patients with keratoconus present a irregular cornea that has a cone shape, which causes a loss of visual acuity and opaque vision.
Pellucid marginal degeneration
This type of corneal ectasia originates in the lower part of the cornea and causes the tissue to take the form of a bump or bulge on one side. This condition mainly causes blurred vision.
Keratoglobo
El keratoglobo It is one of the most complicated forms of corneal ectasia since, as its name infers, the cornea takes the shape of an inflated balloon and gradually deforms on both sides.
Post-Lasik Ectasia
La Lasik laser surgery It is a treatment used to correct refractive errors such as myopia or astigmatism. One of the risks of refractive surgery is that the patient develops a corneal ectasia after the procedure.
In case of post-ectasiaLasik, the patient develops a progressive deformation that causes a increase of myopia o astigmatism. The risk of corneal ectasia after Lasik surgery remains for years after refractive correction has been performed.
Main causes
The causes of corneal ectasia are varied, as it can develop from natural form or as a result of a refractive surgery. Among the risk factors for keratectasia, the hereditary factor and age, since ectasia usually manifests itself mostly between 20 and 30 years.
When corneal ectasia is a consequence of refractive surgery, it is because the biomechanical resistance of the patient's cornea has been affected after the operation. However, this fact is less common than people think, since the probability of this happening is below 0,05% in operated patients.
It is also scientifically proven that rubbing eyes roughly and excessive is associated with the development of keratoconus. It is important to ensure that children do not rub their eyes often and, if they do, that they do not rub their eyes too roughly.
Diagnosis
La keratectasia, being a disease that progresses progressively, it is not always detected in its initial phase. The symptoms of corneal ectasia usually manifest in more advanced stages of the disease, when there is already a significant visual acuity deficiency. Its most significant symptoms are:
- Blurred vision and double vision.
- Corneal bump.
- Irregular astigmatism.
- progressive myopia.
- Decreased visual acuity.
To diagnose corneal ectasia, the ophthalmologist should perform a corneal topography. In the event that this pathology exists, the result of the topography in both eyes will be asymmetric. Also, there will be a keratometry where we will identify the presence of corneal ectasia since the result will show high values. Performing both tests, together with the patient's symptoms, will help diagnose corneal ectasia.
Recommended treatment
Corneal ectasia has no cure, but a series of actions can be carried out to slow the progression of the disease and improve the patient's vision. The earlier it is diagnosed, the more effective the treatment will be.
Among the treatment options for corneal ectasia is the wearing glasses or contact lenses to decrease the visual condition of myopia and astigmatism. Subsequently, the ophthalmologist will probably recommend the implantation of intracorneal segments to improve vision, and thus curb ectasia.
Surgical treatment options for corneal ectasia are varied. The most used today are:
- Implantation of intracorneal rings of PMMA in the stoma of the cornea to cause tissue planning and correct the central area of the tissue. Intracorneal rings significantly improve visual quality, especially in patients with keratoconus.
- El crosslinking It is a technique that offers to impregnate the stoma of the cornea with a substance known as riboflavin, followed by ultraviolet radiation. The crosslinking surgery It helps increase the stiffness of the cornea collagen to stop the progress of ectasia.
- Implementation of phakic lenses o-rings to compensate for ametropia.
- In cases of very advanced corneal ectasia, the ophthalmologist can assess the need to carry out a keratoplasty.
En Área Oftalmológica Avanzada we are experts in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the cornea. If you present symptoms of corneal ectasia, contact us as soon as possible and visit one of our specialists. We will wait for you!
