What is Keratoconus?
Keratoconus is a disorder of the anterior surface of the eye (the cornea). In simple terms, the cornea becomes thinner causing it to bulge from its normal round shape to a cone shape. This bulging interferes with a person's vision and can severely affect the way they see the world, making simple tasks like reading, watching TV or driving very difficult. The distortion caused by keratoconus has been compared to viewing a street sign through your car windshield during a driving rainstorm.
The progression of keratoconus is unpredictable, but generally the condition progresses slowly and can cease at any stage. While keratoconus interferes with the clarity of a person's sight it rarely causes blindness. In its early stages, keratoconus causes slight blurring and distortion of vision and increased sensitivity to glare and light. As the disorder progresses, the degree of vision obtained through glasses becomes less acceptable and contact lenses often become the best method of correcting vision problems.
Most people can successfully manager their condition using special keratoconus contact lenses, however in a small number of cases where the cornea can no longer successfully be fitted with contact lenses, a corneal transplant may be needed.