Keratoconus is a disease of the cornea (the curved, clear front surface of the eye) that is often visually debilitating. In Keratoconus there is progressive thinning of the cornea and as a result the cornea develops a cone-like bulge and becomes distorted. The distorted cornea affects the focusing ability of the eye impairing the vision.
No, Keratoconus does not cause total blindness. If left untreated, Keratoconus can however lead to significant vision impairment resulting in legal blindness.
The onset of Keratoconus can be anywhere between the ages of 8 and 45. In the majority of cases, Keratoconus presents between the ages of 16 and 30 years. Keratoconus usually develops in both eyes, but the condition may be significantly advanced in one eye.
The exact cause of Keratoconus is still unknown however risk factors for developing Keratoconus have been identified including having a family history of Keratoconus, allergies and excessive eye rubbing.
The signs and symptoms of Keratoconus can include:
Dr. Haifa Eye Hospital is first in introducing myoring for Keratoconus treatment in the Gulf region and one of the few in the world.
MyoRing is a 360° continuous full-ring implant to be implanted into a corneal pocket for the treatment of Myopia and Keratoconus. The internationally patented device combines two a-priori contradictory qualities which are: rigidity for the modeling, and stabilization of the corneal shape after implantation and flexibility (shape memory) for the implantation via a small pocket entry to preserve the corneal biomechanics.
The treatment is minimally invasive and easy to perform. It is intra- and postoperatively painless with a very short rehabilitation time.
All grades of Myopia between 1 dioptre and 20 dioptre, which are not eligible to Excimer Laser treatment such as:
All grades of non-central and central Keratoconus, PMD as well as post-LASIK Keratectasia as long as the minimal corneal thickness is larger than 350 microns. In very advanced cases, the MyoRing implantation should be combined with corneal crosslinking.
In comparison to other alternatives to Excimer Laser treatment, which are intra-ocular procedures with significant risks, side-effects and long-term complications, MyoRing implantation into a corneal pocket is minimally invasive, reversible and easy to perform.
In comparison to the treatment with ring-segments, MyoRing implantation into a corneal pocket is more effective in all grades of Keratoconus and allows the surgeon access to all 3 theoretically possible degrees of freedom of an intra-corneal implant in order to achieve the best possible result in every given case. Since the MyoRing is a continuous ring without free ends, typical complications of ring-segments such as e.g. extrusions are usually not seen in Myoring treatment.
Keratoconus can cause changes to the shape of the cornea usually until 35 years of age and rarely until the 40s. Keratoconus should actively be monitored regularly by your ophthalmologist to check for any progression. Cross linking treatment has been shown to stop the progression of the disease but does not improve the vision; it only stabilizes your vision from regression.
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Friday: Closed
