Keratoconus is a debilitating eye disorder and one of the few ways of management is through the help of an ophthalmologist. There are effective ways to treat this condition through eye care services and vision treatment.
At Chapel Hill Ophthalmology in Chapel Hill, NC, an ophthalmologist on our team is trained at recognizing the signs of keratoconus, providing the best treatment available, and ensuring this disease does not progress further. For people with keratoconus, having eye care makes all the difference in their overall quality of life.
What Is Keratoconus?
Keratoconus is an eye disease that causes thickening of the cornea. This thickening occurs as a result of genetic predisposition to a disease, previous injury to the eye, or even rubbing the eye too much, or medical conditions such as hay fever and asthma. Keratoconus causes several symptoms which impede someone's vision. These may include:
- Constantly changing prescriptions
- Needing to correct vision through contact lenses
- Blurry vision
- Increased sensitivity to light
- Sudden worsening vision
- Cloudy vision
How an Ophthalmologist Helps Treat Keratoconus
Because keratoconus can have symptoms that mimic other eye disorders, it's important to properly diagnose this condition with the help of an ophthalmologist. An ophthalmologist on our team can help diagnose this condition through vision tests, a comprehensive eye exam, and specialty eye exams such as eye mapping.
By using these tests, an ophthalmologist on our team can help determine if your symptoms are caused by keratoconus or another condition. If it is determined you are suffering from keratoconus, the ophthalmologist may prescribe treatment that may include:
- Specialty contact lenses: These contact lenses are known as scleral lenses and can fit over the entirety of the eye so that your vision can still be corrected. Soft contact lenses can also be used to correct your vision, especially if your keratoconus is mild or not completely progressed.
- Corneal collagen cross-linking: This treatment works by using eyedrops filled to prevent further changes to the cornea. This prevents the cornea from progressing into further vision loss.
- Surgery: For more advanced keratoconus, an ophthalmologist at our practice might recommend surgery such as a corneal transplant. He or she will determine the right type of surgery needed to correct your keratoconus.
Get Help for Keratoconus in Chapel Hill, NC
At Chapel Hill Ophthalmology, we want to help you see clearly, prevent keratoconus from progressing into further vision loss, and allow you to get the help you need to improve your vision! Call us at (919) 942-8701 to schedule an appointment at our Chapel Hill, NC clinic.