Keratoconus (KC) is a degenerative eye disease that causes thinning of the cornea. It is a condition that affects as many as one in every 2000 people worldwide, according to the National Keratoconus Foundation. As such, it isn’t rare, but it is poorly understood.
Here are 15 things you may not know about Keratoconus.
- Keratoconus is a progressive condition that worsens over time without treatment.
- Keratoconus is not a disease but rather a condition that affects the shape of the cornea or the clear front part of your eye.
- Symptoms include blurry vision, light sensitivity, double vision (diplopia), halos around lights (glare), and difficulty driving when faced with oncoming headlights.
- The condition typically affects both eyes, but it’s possible for one eye to be affected more than the other or to have different symptoms between eyes (such as one eye being more near-sighted than the other).
- People with Keratoconus often experience dry eye syndrome due to irritation or inflammation. They also experience extreme redness, itchiness, or burning when exposed to bright lights or sunlight (known as photophobia). Book a dry eye consultation to determine if you have this eye condition.
- It’s essential to get regular eye tests to detect any changes in your vision early on before they worsen.
- It affects all races and genders equally, but it’s more common in people who have a family history of the disease.
- Keratoconus usually develops during childhood or adolescence.
- It’s difficult to detect unless you’re an optometrist or ophthalmologist— many people go through life undiagnosed until they develop other problems such as glaucoma or cataracts from damage caused by the disease.
- People with this eye condition may have trouble adjusting to new glasses because their vision worsens over time.
- Treatment options include eyeglasses, soft contact lenses, rigid gas permeable lenses (RGP) and corneal collagen cross-linking (CXL).
- CXL is a procedure done in the doctor’s office that uses ultraviolet light to strengthen the cornea to resist better the effects of Keratoconus and other conditions that cause vision loss (such as the dry eye).
- CXL does not require you to have your eyes bandaged for any period; however, you will likely need to wear sunglasses for 24 hours following treatment. This is because UV light can cause damage to your eyes if you are not wearing protective eyewear during this time frame).
- CXL effectively stops progression in about 80 per cent of patients with Keratoconus or corneal ectasia syndrome (dry eye).
- If left untreated, Keratoconus can lead to permanent vision loss due to scarring and thinning of your cornea, which happens when it bulges outwards, causing it to get thinner over time until there’s nothing left at all!
While Keratoconus affects your eyesight, it doesn’t have to affect your life. Many living with this condition manage it and live full and active lives. Whether you’re an individual with Keratoconus or a family member of someone who was diagnosed with this condition, there are things you need to know about the disease and its potential impact on your daily life.
This article is meant to help better equip you for what’s ahead as you live with one of the “invisible” eye diseases.
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