Keratoconus

Keratoconus changes your cornea’s shape, making your vision blurry. If you develop unclear vision, visit board-certified eye doctors Elias Aliprandis, MD, and Irene Rusu, MD, at Ophthalmology Associates of Bay Ridge. They offer state-of-the-art diagnostics and the most advanced treatments, including corneal cross-linking. Call the office in the Bay Ridge or Sheepshead Bay neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York, to arrange an evaluation, or use the online scheduling tool to request an appointment today.

What is keratoconus?

Keratoconus is a cornea disease causing blurry, distorted vision that develops during young adulthood.

The cornea, a clear curved window at the front of your eye, allows light in and helps focus it onto the retina at the back of your eye. If you have keratoconus, your cornea’s fibrous tissue is weaker than usual, causing the cornea to bulge outward and gradually take on a cone-like shape.

Because the cornea changes shape, your vision becomes increasingly blurry. You likely suffer from nearsightedness and irregular astigmatism that glasses don’t correct properly. Additional testing can determine whether keratoconus is present if you have a significant eyeglass prescription change at your eye exam. 

What treatments help with keratoconus?

Patients with mild to moderate keratoconus usually see better with rigid gas permeable (RGP) contact lenses. Ophthalmology Associates of Bay Ridge offers specialized RGP contact lens fitting for keratoconus that’s suitable even for the disease’s advanced stages. Well-fitted contact lenses can provide outstanding vision, better than you’d get with eyeglasses.

Modern RGP lenses are far easier to wear, so they’re worth considering even when you’ve had problems. However, if you have severe corneal distortion and contact lenses don’t provide sufficient vision, or you can’t tolerate them, Ophthalmology Associates of Bay Ridge offers several surgical treatments:

Corneal cross-linking
Corneal cross-linking strengthens the cornea, helping prevent keratoconus progression. Ophthalmology Associates of Bay Ridge is at the forefront in providing corneal cross-linking to patients and is one of the first Brooklyn practices to use cutting-edge technologies like Avedro’s FDA-approved Photrexa® Viscous, Photrexa®, and KXL® System.  

INTACS intrastromal corneal ring segments
INTACS are tiny curved plastic rings your eye surgeon places inside your cornea to flatten the cone shape and improve contact lens tolerance. INTACS reduces the need for corneal transplant surgery in some patients.

Would I need surgery for keratoconus?

Patients with advanced keratoconus may not be suitable for INTACS fitting because of corneal scarring, corneal tissue that’s too thin, or a corneal shape so distorted that contact lenses don’t fit properly.

These patients may benefit from a corneal transplant, a one-hour outpatient procedure where your eye doctor removes the central part of your cornea and replaces it with healthy donor tissue.

Call Ophthalmology Associates of Bay Ridge if you have keratoconus symptoms, or book an appointment online today.

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