Eye Diseases: Keratoconus

30 Aug 2013

Corneal problems are what lead to corrective eyewear and Optilase meet many patients who suffer from progressive diseases of the eye that may impact their candidacy for corrective laser eye surgery.
 
Keratoconus is a progressive eye disease, in which the normally round cornea thins and begins to bulge into a cone-like shape. In patients with keratoconus, the cornea is cone shaped -hence the name keratoconus, derived from the Greek word for cornea (‘kerato’) and cone shaped (‘conus’).
 
The cornea is not only cone shaped, the surface is also irregular or warped, resulting in a distorted image being projected. The distorted cone shape deflects light as it enters the eye on its way to the light-sensitive retina, impeding clear vision and impacting the image formed on the retina.
 
Keratoconus can occur in one or both eyes and often begins during a person's teens or early 20s.
 

Keratoconus Symptoms and Signs

 
As the cornea becomes increasingly irregular in shape, it causes progressive near-sightedness and irregular astigmatism to develop. This in turn causes additional problems with distorted and blurred vision; often problems with glare and extreme light sensitivity also may occur.
 
Keratoconic patients may discover that they need changes in their eyeglass prescription every single time they visit their eye care practitioner, such is the rate of corneal distortion.
 

What Causes Keratoconus?

 
Research suggests that the weakening of the corneal tissue that leads to keratoconus may be due to an imbalance of enzymes within the cornea.
 
This imbalance makes the cornea more susceptible to oxidative damage from compounds called free radicals, causing it to weaken and bulge forward.
 
Risk factors for oxidative damage and weakening of the cornea include a genetic predisposition, explaining why keratoconus often affects more than one member of the same family.
 
Keratoconus also is associated with overexposure to ultraviolet rays from the sun, excessive eye rubbing, a history of poorly fitted contact lenses and chronic eye irritation.
 

Keratoconus Treatment

 
In mild forms of keratoconus, eyeglasses or soft contact lenses may help. But as the disease progresses and the cornea thins and becomes increasingly more irregular in shape, glasses and regular soft contact lens designs no longer provide adequate vision correction.
 
Corneal cross-linking is one of the treatments for more severe keratoconus, and the condition will impede standard laser eye surgery in patients who have the condition.
 
To make an appointment to discover if you may be a candidate from laser eye surgery, call Optilase on 1 890 301 302 or see www.optilase.com

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September 5, 2023

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August 25, 2023

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August 21, 2023

I no longer need glasses,absolutely life changing.Great aftercare,lovely staff.

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Poliana Oliveira
August 9, 2023

I have been wearing glasses for over 20 years. I always hated wearing contact lenses and I got to a time in my life that I needed a change. A friend recommended optilase, I went for the free consultation and the person that did all the exams was really nice and I felt safe and confident enough to go ahead, I was recommended the PRK. I Put on a piece of paper how much I spent and would still spend on glasses for the next 10 years, and the surgery was for sure cheaper than that. My prescription was very high, both eyes, myopia and astigmatism Optilase provided all the information I needed, in clear manner. And they always made clear that there was nothing wrong with my eyes, it was my own choice to go for the surgery. The day of the surgery I was a bit nervous, who wouldn't? But then, from the reception to the surgeon, they were all so nice and welcoming. Hernandez performed the procedure, lovely surgeon, again all information was provided the way it should. I was instructed in what I should and should not do. The actual procedure took less than 15min, I felt nothing, no discomfort or anything. The whole process is very well done by the team, if I remember well around 3 people supporting the surgery plus one other girl providing pos surgery instructions. Right after the procedure I could already see much better than before without glasses! I couldn't believe it, I cried, thanked everyone and left the clinic knowing that I made the best choice. The recovery for PRK is a bit longer, I stayed for 2 full days no phones, or any screens. In the dark. If you have a little one, I would recommend to have someone minding them, as you are very limited in what you can do for the day of and day after surgery. It is hard to open the eyes, the second day after surgery was the toughest, I thought all went wrong as the vision got worst, but again I was advised it could happen. Note that this was my experience and could be different for other people. The 3rd day I felt nothing and could see much better already. Light sensitivity was very high, and still, 6 days after surgery, but nothing that a sun glasses would not help. My vision still blurred, but I need no glasses to see, my eyes feel dry sometimes, but the eye drops provided helps with it and and am very happy with the results already, even knowing it takes a bit longer to fully recover the vision. I'm back to work (screen at 200% to make sure I dont force my eyes too much) and I have had no headaches or anything, which I would have all the time looking at screens for most of my day. I cannot recommend Optilase enough, they are amazing! If you want to do something for your self and want a place you can trust, go for it, choose Optilase. Thanks to the whole team for one of the best things I did for my self!

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August 9, 2023

Great experience all tound from start to finish. Every step explained in great detail. Eyesight was better than 20/20 the next day. Would highly recommend using optilase for laser eye surgery

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Eve Murphy
August 9, 2023

Surgeon was great! Talked me through everything as the surgery was happening. Bit of discomfort during surgery and very painful for 2-3 hrs after but put more drops in and took a nap and then completely fine after. Colette for my consultation and post op was so friendly and helpful. Overall, great experience.

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August 3, 2023

I highly recommend Optilase for laser eye surgery. The process from the initial consultation to the post surgery check ups was quite smooth and professional. The staff working at the clinic was very knowledgeable, professional, and friendly. The surgery was over in minutes and I didn't feel any pain. The doctor kept an open communication with me during the surgery what made a big difference.

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