Keratoconus

Keratoconus is an eye condition where your cornea, the dome-shaped front layer of the eye, progressively gets thinner and bulges like a cone. This change in the shape of the cornea brings the light out of focus, resulting in a distorted or blurry vision.

What is Keratoconus

Your cornea is the clear, dome-shaped front of the eye. It serves as the window of your eye, as it focuses light on your retina. With keratoconus, the cornea thins out and bulges like a cone. This results in blurry or distorted vision and sensitivity to light or glare.

Keratoconus usually affects both eyes; however, it can affect one eye over the other. It also progresses slowly, which is why early detection is key to preventing it from worsening.

What Causes Keratoconus

There is no exact determined cause yet for keratoconus. In some cases, it appears to be genetic. Keratoconus is often associated with excessive eye rubbing, eye allergies, and connective tissue disorders.

Keratoconus often starts manifesting when people are in their late teens or early 20s. This eye disease progresses very slowly over 10–20 years.

Symptoms include:

• • Distorted vision
• • Blurred vision
• • Sensitivity to light
• • Reddish eyes

How to Manage Keratoconus

Keratoconus can be diagnosed through a comprehensive eye exam, such as our EyeCare360. Since this is a disease that slowly develops over time, we encourage patients to consult a doctor at its first signs and symptoms. George Optical’s specialized Pentacam and CDR, or Corneal Densitometry, is the first in the Philippines who can help you monitor the progress of this eye disease.

Treatment options vary depending on your symptoms. When symptoms are mild, you may be prescribed to wear corrective eyeglasses or contact lenses. If keratoconus has already progressed, you may be required to wear rigid gas permeable (RGP) contact lenses or scleral contact lenses to improve vision.

For more advanced cases, our EyeFitting CAD or eye ductory maps are used to prepare scleral contact lenses or cross-linking or CXL, a procedure done to slow down the progression of keratoconus. After this surgery, you may still be prescribed by your doctors to wear eyeglasses or contact lenses to correct your vision.