Keratoconus

Keratoconus is a disease of the very front layer of the eye, known as the cornea. This disease is unfortunately relatively common and is one of the main reasons for the importance of organ donation. It mostly appears in people with a family history and in people who often vigorously rub their eyes.

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An increase in astigmatism, often the first sign, causes blurry vision at both distance and near. This is usually followed by more distortion of sight as the cornea becomes thinner and irregular in shape. If you are concerned about your astigmatism, make an appointment to see us for keratoconus screening at Vision Excellence. Our optometrist will record the level of astigmatism in your eyes so we can carefully monitor any changes with time. We are also equipped to measure the thickness of your cornea and we are able to accurately assess any changes in its shape with the corneal topographer in our Norwest practice.

Depending on the severity of a person’s keratoconus, our optometrist will advise whether correction with spectacles or rigid gas-permeable contact lenses is appropriate. More advanced cases of keratoconus may be referred by our optometrist to an ophthalmologist in the local Hills District for advice about eye surgery (cross-linking or corneal grafting).

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