Keratoconus is a disease of the cornea. Due to myopia and astigmatism, the transparent layer of the cornea at the front of the eye becomes thinner and sharper. The convex cornea can cause visual impairment and vision problems that cannot be corrected with glasses.
Although the exact cause of this disease is unknown, it can be said that genetic inheritance, ultraviolet radiation, hard lens use, environmental factors, eye trauma such as allergic eye itching are effective in the development of keratoconus. According to the latest information of today’s modern medicine. For this reason, it is of great importance for the early diagnosis and treatment of the disease to perform routine eye examinations while performing detailed examinations such as corneal topography in children with a family history of keratoconus.
Keratoconus can also occur at an early age. However, research shows that keratoconus most often starts during adolescence. The patient becomes aware of the presence of keratoconus when complaints appear in their 20s. While the cornea continues to thin and curve between the ages of 20 and 40, keratoconus begins to slow down in the 40s.
The presence of keratoconus may go unrecognized during routine eye examinations in childhood or during disease exacerbations. A detailed eye examination and ocular surface topography are necessary to diagnose the disease.
In cases where the cornea is steep and corneal thinning is increasing, methods such as corneal cross-linking (CCL) – cross-linking treatment and KeraNatural are used.
KeraNatural is a completely biological, side-effect-free and effective method for corneal transplantation. Developed by the US Eye Bank, the KeraNatural method uses strips of human cornea. KeraNatural is placed in the tunnel created by the laser in the cornea. This procedure takes approximately 5 minutes. No general anesthesia was administered to the patient during the procedure. The eyes are numb with eye drops. The patient did not feel any pain and the next day he returned to his normal life in a healthy way. KeraNatural strengthens the weak corneal layer and changes the curved shape of the cornea in keratoconus patients. This reduces myopia and astigmatism and improves vision.
