People with early keratoconus typically notice a minor blurring of their vision and come to their clinician seeking corrective lenses for reading or driving.

At early stages, the symptoms of keratoconus may be no different from those of any other refractive defect of the eye. As the disease progresses, vision deteriorates, sometimes rapidly.

Vision becomes impaired at all distances, and night vision is often quite poor. Some individuals have vision in one eye that is markedly worse than that in the other eye.

Some develop photophobia (sensitivity to bright light), eye strain from squinting in order to read, or itching in the eye, but there is normally little or no sensation of pain.

The causes of keratoconus are still unknown despite our long experience with it. There has been no shortage of speculation or study and numerous theories have been proposed.

One scientific view is that keratoconus is developmental (i.e., genetic) in origin. This suggests that it is the consequence of an abnormality of growth, essentially a congenital defect. Another view is that KC represents a degenerative condition. Still a third view is that KC is secondary to some disease process. A less widely held hypothesis suggests that the endocrine system may be involved. This idea gained credence from the usual appearance of the disease because it is generally first detected at puberty.

Heredity influences in KC are suggested by studies that show that approximately 13% of patients have other family members with the disease.

It has been proposed that susceptible corneas exhibit an inability to process reactive oxygen species because they lack the necessary protective enzymes (e.g., ALDH3 and superoxide dismutase). The reactive oxygen species result in an accumulation of toxic by-products such as MDA and peroxynitrites that can damage corneal proteins and trigger a cascade of events that disrupt the cornea’s cellular structure and function. This can result in corneal thinning, scarring, and apoptosis.

Good results with C3R for keratoconus

a week back we had one of our patients come in for his sixteen month follow up. C3R was done for his progressing kertoconus in the left eye in April 2007. the visual acuity improved from 6/12 then to 6/6 now. The corneal topography showed significant reduction in the irregular astigmatism as well as the Simulate Keratometry reading.

There are many such patients. The results from our practice are now submitted to a peer reviewed journal for publication.

What is keratoconus?

Keratoconus is a degenerative non-inflammatory disorder of the eye in which structural changes within the cornea cause it to thin and change to a more conical shape than its normal gradual curve. It derives the name from (kerato – cornea and konus – cone)

What part of the eye is affected in keratoconus?

The cornea is the clear, transparent front covering which admits light and begins the refractive process. It is this clear convex cornea which bends (refracts) a ray of light and slows it down. It also shrinks the light to a manageable size (a little smaller than a one rupee coin). It is this front covering of the eye that is affected in keratoconus.

Keratoconus

Keratoconus is a problem that affects a large number of people. However, in India, there is hardly any awareness about the disease. People affected with this problem are usually left alone to cope with the effects and are forced to grope for answers. We would like to create awareness groups / support groups to help keratoconus affected individuals cope better with this problem.
Any ideas?