What is Keratoconus?

Keratoconus is an eye condition where the cornea (the clear outermost layer of the eye) bulges into an irregular cone-like shape.  It is generally due to a thinning (ectasia) of the cornea. As the condition progresses, vision becomes distorted and blurred, with a sensitivity to glare and light. Most patients present symptoms with the onset of puberty, affecting those in their late teenage years or early 20s.

Is Keratoconus Surgery Permanent?

Our Eye & Laser Centre doctors treat keratoconus with modern crosslinking techniques. Corneal grafting can also be performed including lamellar grafts for conditions such as keratoconus, Fuch’s dystrophy, bullous keratopathy and other corneal problems.

What are my Keratoconus Treatment Options?

Options available to correct the vision include spectacles, contact lenses (particularly rigid contact lenses), intrastromal corneal ring segments (kerarings) and corneal graft. Corneal collagen crosslinking is available to slow or halt the progression of keratoconus.

Available treatments include:

Crosslinking

Corneal collagen crosslinking is a procedure designed to slow or halt the progression of keratoconus. At Eye & Laser Centre Gold Coast, the modern approach of accelerated pulsed crosslinking is used to ensure an easier procedure for the patient. Both epithelium on (quicker, less discomfort, not as effective) and epithelium off (significant discomfort, longer recovery, more effective) crosslinking can be used.

Kerarings

Kerarings are plastic inserts that alter the shape of the cornea. They will flatten the steepened section of a keratoconic cornea to achieve better unaided and better corrected vision. Eye & Laser Centre Gold Coast doctors have been achieving excellent results with kerarings to improve the vision of keratoconics. This often allows for a reduced and less complicated prescription of spectacles and/or contact lenses and in some cases, satisfactory vision without glasses or contact lenses.

Corneal Graft

In some cases keratoconus will result in too much distortion of the cornea for spectacles, rigid contact lenses or kerarings to help. In these cases a corneal graft may be required. This can include a full thickness or partial thickness graft.