Keratoconus Treatment From Our Eye Doctor in Raleigh
If you suffer from a vision problem known as keratoconus, you have some special challenges to overcome. This cone-like bulging of the corneas can lead to extreme refractive errors, blurring your vision and causing other unpleasant symptoms. The good news is that many cases of keratoconus can be compensated for with the right kind of corrective lenses. Here at Family Eyecare Center, you can get those specialized lenses from our experienced eye doctor in Raleigh, Dr. Jeffrey Handschumacher.
How Keratoconus Can Affect Your Vision From Your Raleigh Eye Doctor
Anything that interferes with the eye’s ability to refract light correctly can result in a refractive disorder, elongated or foreshortened eyeballs (myopia/astigmatism) to isolated spots of deformation in the cornea (astigmatism). In keratoconus, the tissues of the cornea are too thin and weak to support a normal spherical curvature. This causes the cornea to bulge outward in more of a cone shape, playing havoc with refraction. Keratoconus has usually established itself by your early 20s and can grow progressively worse over many years. Symptoms include distorted vision (including “halos” around bright lights), abnormal light sensitivity and double vision. Some sufferers may also experience brief periods of corneal swelling that temporarily make vision much worse.
It’s not certain why some individuals struggle with the thin corneal tissue that produces keratoconus. Oxidative damage to the corneas may play a role, along with genetics and the hormonal roller coaster that occurs at puberty. Allergies or other irritants that cause constant eye rubbing may even contribute to keratoconus.
Keratoconus Treatment Options
Many people find that corrective lenses can compensate for their corneal issues to restore and maintain clear vision. But not all corrective lenses are created equal when it comes to keratoconus treatment. Since soft contact lenses largely conform to the existing corneal contours, they can’t provide enough compensation once the cornea develops a pronounced bulge. Fortunately, your Raleigh optometrist can evaluate the progress of your condition and determine what kind of specialized lenses can do exactly that. Our options include:
- RGP (rigid gas permeable) lenses – Rigid gas permeable lenses are robust enough to maintain whatever curvature we create for them. This allows them to provide steady, constant refractive correction.
- Hybrid lenses – If you’re used to soft contacts but you need the extra correction possible with RGP lenses, our hybrid contacts can provide the best of both worlds. These lenses combine a rigid center with a soft rim.
- Scleral lenses – Scleral lenses can be highly effective for keratoconus treatment. Since these RGP lenses extend out past the cornea to the sclera (the white of the eye), they can vault completely over the misshapen cornea to take over the role of refractive correction.
Schedule the Eye Care You Need to Cope With Keratoconus
Our optometrist can tell you what kind of eye care best suits your keratoconus. Call 919-981-4444 for an appointment so we can help you reclaim your clarity of vision!