Can Laser Eye Surgery be used to treat Keratoconus?

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Keratoconus is a condition whereby the cornea bulges outwards in a cone shape.  This gives you blurry vision and is due to either the cornea being too thin or the pressure in your eye being too great. When combined they cause keratoconus, which is a fairly common problem. Normally this problem is corrected using special rigid gas permeable contact lenses, gas permeable meaning that oxygen and carbon dioxide can move through the lens. These rigid lenses help correct the problem by flattening out the front of the cornea.

As you know, wearing contact lenses every day can be troublesome, often irritating your eyes and having to be taken out after a specified amount of time. Unfortunately if you suffer from this condition you will not be able to have laser eye surgery, as this will not correct the problem. This is because laser eye surgery procedures aim to reshape the cornea by thinning it out, which would make keratoconus worse. However don’t worry there are procedures you can have to correct your vision permanently. The most recent procedure used to treat keratoconus is the insertion of INTACS. INTACS are small colourless plastic semicircular clips that are inserted underneath your cornea. Once in place they stretch and flatten out your cornea, correcting keratoconus.

If you have keratoconus and want more information on any of the available procedures please consult your local ophthalmologist/eye doctor at your local laser eye clinic.

Read about Cross Linking Eye Surgery.

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