Keratoconus

Keratoconus is a disease presenting with the outward bulging and thinning of the surface of the clear corneal tissue of the eye. Usually affecting both eyes, this condition causes blurred vision and light sensitivity. The disease, which begins to present its symptoms in adolescence, progresses until the age of about 35. The astigmatism, which results from this bulging in the cornea and which gradually worsens, leads to a visual impairment unable to be ameliorated despite the use of glasses. One of the most significant complaints of this patient group is the necessity to continuously change the diopter value. Although the way in which the disease develops is unknown, the family history may be involved in some patients. Severe and frequent ocular itch is a risk factor and may coexist with some diseases like Retinitis pigmentosa, Down’s syndrome, Ehlers Danlos syndrome and Asthma. Keratoconus may be diagnosed via a thorough ophthalmologic examination. The final diagnosis is established by the keratometry and the corneal map (topography) tests. In the advanced stage, the disease may lead to serious vision losses as a result of the corneal thinning and scar formation. Currently, it is very likely to be able to halt the progression of the disease by the cross-linking operation.

The treatment of keratoconus involves the use of glasses, the use of rigid contact lenses, the cross-linking operation, the intracorneal ring placement and, for the advanced cases, the corneal transplantation. Today, it is also possible in the suitable cases to perform the laser eye operation along with the cross-linking operation and achieve improvement in the patient’s vision.

ASSOC. PROF. M. NECATİ DEMİR