Living With Keratoconus: Effective Management and Treatment Strategies

Your cornea is the clear, round part of the front of the eye. A typical cornea is almost perfectly round, but if you have keratoconus, it’s more of a bulged cone shape. Keratoconus causes your cornea to get thinner and steeper. This leads to symptoms like:

• Halos around lights
• Low night vision
• Headaches with eye pain
• Sensitivity to bright lights
• Blurry or cloudy vision

If you have any vision loss or blurriness because of your keratoconus, experienced ophthalmologist Vicki Lin, MD, can help. Specializing in keratoconus management, she provides the latest treatments at iSight Vision Care in Fountain Valley and Huntington Beach, California. 

Just 1 in every 2000 people has keratoconus. If you’re that person, here are some strategies to preserve your vision. 

Managing keratoconus in the early stages

Early stages of keratoconus can be managed as easily as any mild vision problem. Dr. Lin might recommend wearing glasses at first, which should help with some of the blurriness. 

Eventually, keratoconus progresses, and your glasses may no longer help. Soon, you’ll need hard contact lenses to keep your vision in focus. 

Treatments to consider when keratoconus gets worse

Dr. Lin specializes in Corneal Collagen Crosslinking, the only FDA-approved treatment to stop keratoconus progression. 

Corneal Collagen Crosslinking is an in-office procedure that stimulates collagen production in the eye. The collagen stiffens your eye to preserve its roundness and stop it from becoming more pointed. 

To do this, Dr. Lin applies liquid vitamin E eye drops to the surface of your cornea. She then activates the vitamin E using an ultraviolet (UV) light for 30 minutes or so. While this won’t reverse any corneal distortion, it should prevent it from getting much worse. 

Treating advanced keratoconus

You might need further treatment for advanced stages of keratoconus. Dr. Lin tells you your options and will help you decide what’s right for you. She may recommend:

Corneal ring

A corneal ring is an implantable C-shaped ring that holds your cornea in a rounded shape. It might help your contact lenses fit better, and the ring itself may improve your vision. Getting this ring only takes 25 minutes or so in the office. 

Corneal transplant

A corneal transplant is surgery to replace your keratoconus cornea with the cornea of a healthy donor. This surgery takes about an hour, and you’ll need to take medication to stop your eye from rejecting the transplant. After 3-6 months, your vision should improve. 

Discuss your options

If you have keratoconus, there are options to improve or restore your vision. Call iSight Vision Care or request an appointment online to learn more about keratoconus treatment today.