Dr. Pastor, a specialist at the Oftalvist ophthalmology clinic, explains in this article what keratoconus is, a pathology that affects the cornea and, consequently, reduces vision.
Keratoconus is an alteration of the cornea suffered by one out of every 1,800 people. It causes progressive thinning of the corneal thickness, as well as modification of its curvature. The spherical shape of the cornea changes to a conical one. As a consequence, irregular corneal astigmatism is produced, as well as myopia, which distorts images and reduces vision. It affects young people.
The cause is unknown, although there are many predisposing factors and theories about its origin. One is genetic. A percentage of patients with keratoconus have affected relatives. It can be of direct inheritance or more sporadic transmission. It has also been linked to chronic scratching of the eyes. It has been proven that doing so for a prolonged period of time can trigger keratoconus. It may also be a consequence of persistent minor trauma to the eye, or wearing ill-fitting contact lenses. Other theories point to the influence of a hormonal factor.
There are different treatments, depending on the degree of the disease. In mild or incipient cases, good vision can be achieved by correcting the refractive defect with glasses or contact lenses. In more advanced cases, however, rigid contact lenses are necessary to correct astigmatism. Their use will allow good vision, since at this stage glasses do not provide visual acuity. In cases where contact lenses are intolerant or do not provide visual acuity, the treatment is surgical with intracorneal rings or segments, whose objective is to regularize the corneal curvature and reduce astigmatism. Surgery can be performed manually or with femtosecond laser, which provides precision and accuracy, improving postoperative results. When the pathology is very advanced, the treatment is corneal transplantation. Currently it can be performed by replacing affected layers and preserving healthy tissue.