Keratoconus
Keratoconus is usually diagnosed in teens and young adults. It causes the middle and lower parts of the cornea to get thinner over time. While a normal cornea has a rounded shape, a cornea with keratoconus can bulge outward and become a cone shape. This different cornea shape can cause vision problems.
Symptoms of keratoconus include:
- Itchy eyes
- Double vision
- Blurry vision
- Nearsightedness (when far-away objects look blurry)
- Astigmatism (when things look blurry or distorted)
- Sensitivity to light
As keratoconus gets worse, it may cause eye pain and more serious vision problems.
Most people with keratoconus can correct their vision problems by wearing glasses, soft contact lenses, or special hard contact lenses that change the shape of the cornea. Your doctor may also recommend a procedure called corneal cross-linking to strengthen your cornea. If your keratoconus causes severe corneal scarring or you have trouble wearing contact lenses, you may need a corneal transplant.
Did you know?
Keratoconus is the most common corneal dystrophy in the United States
It affects 1 in 2,000 Americans
Courtesy: National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health (NEI/NIH).