LASIK is an eye surgery that corrects astigmatism, nearsightedness, and farsightedness. The popular procedure has helped millions of patients achieve sharper, clearer vision with little to no need for visual aids.
If you have keratoconus, you might be wondering whether you can correct your vision with LASIK. Keep reading to learn more about whether LASIK can treat keratoconus.
What is Keratoconus?
The cornea is the clear front part of your eye. It bends or refracts light entering your eye, enabling it to focus sharply on the retina for clear vision.
Keratoconus is a degenerative eye condition that causes the cornea to gradually thin, bulge outward, and form a cone-like shape. The uneven shape prevents the cornea from refracting light correctly, distorting vision.
The progressive condition often affects both eyes. However, one eye can be more affected than the other.
The symptoms of keratoconus can change as the condition advances. These may include:
- Distorted or blurred vision
- Seeing halos around light sources
- Increased sensitivity to light and glare
- Gradually worsening vision
- Frequent prescription changes
- Difficulty wearing contact lenses
- Increased astigmatism and nearsightedness as keratoconus progresses
Can LASIK Treat Keratoconus?
LASIK can only treat refractive errors, including nearsightedness, astigmatism, and farsightedness, but not keratoconus. Additionally, one of the requirements for LASIK is sufficient corneal thickness.
Keratoconus causes your cornea to thin out. Moreover, it compromises the health of your cornea. Because of this, you likely won’t be a good LASIK candidate.
LASIK entails reshaping your cornea by removing corneal tissue. For those with keratoconus, the cornea is already weak and thin.
Removing corneal tissue during LASIK can cause further damage to the cornea and exacerbate keratoconus, worsening your vision.
How is Keratoconus Treated?
Depending on the severity of your keratoconus, your eye doctor at VisionFirst Eye Center may recommend treatments such as:
Specialty Contact Lenses
Specialty contact lenses are custom lenses that provide clear, comfortable vision. They create a smooth surface over the uneven cornea, allowing light to refract as it should and focus precisely on your retina for clear vision.
INTACS
Your eye doctor may recommend INTACS if you have moderate to severe keratoconus. INTACS are tiny crescent-shaped rings that are inserted into your cornea.
Once placed, they partially flatten the cone shape caused by keratoconus and make it easier to wear contact lenses, improving your vision.
Corneal Crosslinking
Corneal crosslinking is another treatment that can delay or even halt the progression of keratoconus. The minimally invasive procedure uses UV or ultraviolet light treatment and riboflavin.
In corneal crosslinking, your eye doctor will administer drops containing vitamin B2 or riboflavin to your eye. After half an hour, they’ll expose your eye to UV light for up to 30 minutes to activate riboflavin.
The process encourages corneal crosslinking, which helps strengthen your cornea. This can stiffen or flatten your cornea and prevent it from bulging more, stabilizing your vision.
Corneal Transplantation
If you have severe keratoconus that hasn’t responded to other treatments, you may need a corneal transplant. A corneal transplant involves replacing part or all of your damaged cornea with healthy donor cornea tissue.
In almost all cases, visual aids are still required to attain clear vision after a corneal transplant.
Is keratoconus making it challenging to see? Schedule your appointment at VisionFirst Eye Center in Birmingham, AL, today to determine the right treatment for you.
