Many people wear glasses or contacts all around the world. There are many reasons for needing eye glasses and many types of prescriptions used. Some people may suffer from nearsightedness, some from farsightedness, and many from astigmatism. There are also a few conditions with the eyes that may not be heard of as often but are equally important in treating. Keratoconus is one of those conditions that may not be heard very often but is still very serious.
Keratoconus is a condition that can be mild or severe and can also be very difficult to detect in its beginning stages. This condition affects the cornea of the eye and is a progressive disease that will get worse over time. In a normal eye, the cornea is rounded. With keratoconus the cornea of the eye begins to thin out and becomes cone shaped. The cornea begins to bubble outward which disrupts the vision and causes significant vision impairment over time. Beginning signs of keratoconus are usually diagnosed as nearsightedness. Since the way the cornea forms can cause the patient to have nearsighted vision along with astigmatism, the eye doctor may mistake the keratonconus as a regular vision impairment.
Once a patient begins wearing glasses or contacts for the nearsightedness or astigmatism they may feel like the problem has been solved, however with a case of a rapidly changing cornea, the prescription will usually loose its ability to help the patient. When a patient returns for a stronger prescription each year, they may then take a closer look and notice that the cornea is actually starting to bulge and become misshaped. Doctors are becoming more and more aware of keratoconus and pay close attention to the cornea during routine eye exams, however if your case is in the early stages it may still be hard to detect.
Since keratoconus is a progressive condition it is only a matter of time before the patient will need to have a special type of eye wear made for this condition. The cornea will eventually become so misshaped that wearing normal contacts may be impossible. Luckily there are special contacts that are available for people with this condition. There are gas permeable contact lenses which will fit better on the eye and cover the cornea properly. Because the cornea in a keratoconus patient can cause a bump in the eye, a sturdier lens is necessary to keep the contact in its proper place on the eye. Gas permeable lenses are more rigid and are able to create a vault over the eye while allowing for better vision. The only downfall about these contact lenses is that they can be difficult to insert into the eye correctly. The fit has to be just right in order to benefit the patient and if the patient is unable to put the contact in correctly they may often become frustrated with the lenses. For patients who have a hard time dealing with this type of corrective lens it may be necessary to switch to a different type. There are a few other contact lenses that one can try and for severe cases surgery may be the best corrective option.
Although keratoconus will never go away unless surgery is performed, there are ways of managing the condition. The best thing you can do is see your eye doctor for regular eye exams so he or she can detect any changes in your eyes. Without the proper diagnosis your vision can never be improved. If you are wearing glasses or contacts now that are not helping you see as well as they once were then you should see your eye doctor for a new eye exam.
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