Keratoconus

Keratoconus is a progressive condition where the cornea (the clear front part of the eye) is thinner than normal and starts to bulge forward gradually causing severe distortion of vision. It usually starts in late childhood or early teenage years. It may be associated with eye allergies (itching). Frequent changes in glasses with no improvement in quality of vision is an indicator of the disease progression, which may then require special contact lenses to be able to see. As the keratoconus becomes more severe, the contact lenses become ineffective.

There is no known treatment to reverse keratoconus however a procedure known as cornea collagen crosslinking has been proven to stop the progression. The key is for cross-linking to be performed as soon as keratoconus is diagnosed in order to avoid progression and further loss of vision. Advanced keratoconus may lead to scarring of the cornea. Once a scar forms on the cornea, the eye becomes blind and the only treatment left to restore vision is a cornea transplant. Cornea for transplant is not readily available in Kenya and the surgery can be very costly. Anyone who suffers eye allergy or requires frequent change of glasses should make an appointment for assessment and management. Eagle Eye Laser Centre has the best diagnostic equipment to diagnose keratoconus early and we also offer corneal collagen crosslinking to save your vision.