new to this

[samxcx]

Hi I'm Sam and have recently been told I have Keretoconus.
I have had ok vision all my life and only now at 28 have I noticed that thigs are getting worse.
Been to have a eye test and told that I have keratocnus and astigmatism with short sightedness and it is to be corrected with glasses.
Although the optition seemed happy with this , after reading about this condition I am a little concerened that it will get alot worse , What can I expect and how long before I will possibly need sugery ? Any help wpuld be greatly appreciated,

Kind Regards ,

Sam x

[Andrew MacLean]

Sam

Welcome to the forum!

Let's start at the beginning: most people who live with Keratoconus will never need more than glasses or contact lenses.

The later the condition is identified, the less likely it is to progress beyond the point where it can be compensated by glasses or contact lenses.

So those things said, you do need to go to your doctor and tell her or him that your optometrist has told you that you may have keratoconus and ask for a referral to your local ophthalmology clinic. There an eye doctor will confirm the diagnosis and talk over options for now and for the future.

In the modern world there are procedures available that can slow the development of KC, and help restore good vision. The two procedures that I have particularly in mind are CXL (collagen crosslinking) and INTACS.

The intacs procedure (where they insert parts of a lens into your cornea, is so well established that it has been approved for use in the NHS in England by NICE. CXL is under study within the NHS, and it is possible that your local hospital will be one of those offering this procedure. For the last ten years a body of experience of CXL has been building around the world, and it looks like this procedure, for those who are suitable for it, may be able to stabilize the cornea so well that there is often no need for further intervention.

CXL involves lifting he top five cells of your eye and dropping riboflavin into the stroma of the cornea. This is then fixed into the structure of the cornea using ultra violet light. The cornea can then be closed again by letting the 'epithelium' come back into place.

Do not allow yourself to be too spooked by stories here of people who had reached the advanced stage of KC. There is every prospect of your living to a great old age without ever progressing to that point.

Yours aye

Andrew

[samxcx]

Thanks so much for your reply , It is greatly appreciated , Sam