The Corneal Cross-Linking Procedure: What Valley Area Patients Can Expect

Have you ever heard of keratoconus and the corneal cross-linking treatment? For many people, these terms aren’t on their radar. Even so, for the approximately 50 to 200 of every 100,000 people who are afflicted with keratoconus, it’s important to understand what it is and how it can be treated. Here’s some more information.

What is Keratoconus?

This condition is a chronic, progressive weakening of the cornea that causes changes in the cornea’s shape (e.g turning it into more of a cone), along with visual distortion and corneal thinning and scarring. It can also cause irregular astigmatism, which leads to significant visual impairment.

Risk Factors & Symptoms

A person is more likely to have keratoconus if they have a family history of the disease, have chronic eye inflammation and/or rub their eyes frequently. It’s most often diagnosed in the teenage years, but can get progressively worsen from there. If it isn’t addressed early, the disease can ultimately cause profound vision loss.

Oftentimes, patients don’t notice any symptoms early on, which can make getting a diagnosis and treatment difficult. As keratoconus progresses, those who are afflicted are likely to see glare or halos around lights, have trouble seeing at night, experience headaches associated with eye pain, be more sensitive to bright light and/or have a sudden worsening of their vision.

Corneal Cross-Linking Treatment

Fortunately, there’s an excellent treatment option for people who suffer from keratoconus. Corneal cross-linking is a minimally-invasive FDA-approved outpatient procedure designed to treat progressive keratoconus (and other conditions that cause a similar weakening of the cornea).

It’s a two-step procedure that involves the application of riboflavin solution to the eye, which is activated by exposure to UV-A light for less than 30 minutes. The corneal cross-linking procedure strengthens and stabilizes the cornea, which recovers and preserves some of the cornea's mechanical strength.

Oftentimes, the outermost layer of the cornea is removed to increase penetration of the riboflavin into the thickest tissue layer of the cornea. This procedure is most effective when done before the cornea has become too irregular in shape or there has already been significant vision loss.

Schedule an Eye Exam Today

 If you’ve been diagnosed with keratoconus or suspect you might have the disease, schedule an appointment right away to see one of our fellowship-trained corneal specialists. They’ll perform clinical testing to determine if you’re a candidate for the treatment.

Remember, with keratoconus and many other eye diseases, the faster you catch it–the more likely you can prevent major vision problems. Book your exam today!