What Is Keratoconus, Its Causes, Symptoms, Risk Factors, And Treatment?
What Is Keratoconus?
It generally happens when your cornea ( a dome-shaped, clear front surface of the eye) is thin and slowly bulges outwards into a cone shape.
A cone-shaped cornea leads to blurred visions that might lead to sensitivity to glare or light. Keratoconus generally affects both eyes. However, in most cases, it affects one eye more than both.
People between the ages of 10 to 25 are the victims of this condition. And for 10 years or longer, these conditions might progress slowly. You might not neglect this issue and visit Eye specialists In Punjab for checkups and treatment.
In the initial stage of keratoconus, you will be able to treat the problem with soft contact lenses or glasses. However, with time, it might become worse, and the doctor in the Best Eye Hospital In Punjab would have to fit gas permeable, rigid contact lenses. The doctor might even advise you to use other types of lenses, such as scleral lenses.
In case the condition progresses to an advanced level, then you may definitely require cornea transplant surgery.
There is a new treatment known as corneal collagen cross-linking. It might help you to stop or slow the keratoconus from developing further. It also prevents the possibility of undergoing cornea transplant surgery in the future. Most of the time, the doctor prescribes this treatment along with the vision correction options.
What Are The Symptoms Of Keratoconus?
The signs and symptoms that might indicate you have keratoconus change with each case as the disease progresses.
Some of the common symptoms include:
- Distorted or blurred visions.
- A requirement for frequent changes in the eyeglasses prescriptions.
- There is an increase in the sensitivity to glare or bright light. This might cause problems with night driving.
- Sudden clouding or worsening of vision.
When Should You See A Doctor?
Many people have a similar question: when should they see a doctor for their keratoconus treatment?
You should make an appointment with the ophthalmologist or optometrist doctor in case your eyesight is getting worse day by day. The irregular curvature of the eye (astigmatism) is the leading cause of such issues. You can also look for the keratoconus symptoms when they visit the eye doctor for a regular checkup.
What Are The Causes Of Keratoconus?
Nobody knows the real reason for keratoconus. However, according to the experts, environmental and genetic factors might play a certain role. In fact, one out of every 10 patients with keratoconus also has a family member with the same condition.
What Are The Risk Factors Of Keratoconus?
Let us now move towards the risk factors of keratoconus and what can trigger it more than anything else.
These are some of the factors that can increase the chances of you developing keratoconus:
- Genetics: having a family member who also has a history of keratoconus.
- If you start rubbing your eyes vigorously frequently.
- Dealing with certain conditions such as down syndrome, retinitis pigmentosa, Ehlers-danlos syndrome, asthma, and hay fever.
