Yorkshire Eye Hospital

In the early stages vision can initially be corrected with glasses but if further distortion occurs better vision can usually be achieved by wearing rigid contact lenses.

In severe cases the distorted cornea can cause the lenses to be flicked out on blinking. In such cases inserting an intrastromal ring (INTAC) may flatten the cornea sufficiently to allow continued contact lens wear.

However in severe cases of keratoconus a corneal transplant may be necessary to correct the distortion or scarring which can occur at the apex of the cone.

It is known that progression of keratoconus usually slows down between the ages of 30 and 40 years due to aging changes within the cornea. This is due to increased cross linking of the collagen fibres.

Collagen cross linking has been developed in Germany as the first form of treatment that is actually targeted at stopping the progression of keratoconus rather than just treating the symptoms. It works by using eye-drops together with Ultra-violet light to induce more cross linking bonds between the collagen fibres in the cornea.

The procedure is divided into two parts. In the first part the cornea is anaesthetised with locally applied drops and then a specially formulated eye-drop is put on the eye. Some surface cells are removed to allow the drop to penetrate the cornea.

In the second part of the procedure the cornea is exposed to low dose, ultraviolet light which is focused on the cornea for 30 minutes.

At the end of the procedure a soft bandage contact lens is inserted to help the healing of the cornea and drops given to aid healing and recovery. The contact lens is removed after a week at the follow up visit.

This new treatment is the first available to reduce the progression of keratoconus. Treatment is simple day case procedure, carried out in our state of the art eye hospital. If you would like to discuss this treatment or if you have any other queries please phone 0845 456 2021