Keratoconus Philippines

World Keratoconus Day is an awareness day sponsored by the  National Keratoconus Foundation , an educational program of the Gavin Herbert Eye Institute, UC Irvine. This is a very good opportunity to spread information about keratoconus.  Keratoconus is a condition that can be managed.  It should not stop you from being anything you want to be!   NKCF has created a special website for the World KC Day. Make sure to visit  worldkcday.com .

Just last week, I have just seen two keratoconus patients that only need scleral lens for one eye. So does unilateral keratoconus exist?   Well, both of them have bilateral keratoconus, but it is just that the other eye is at a very mild stage.  Their visual acuities are almost 20/20 for the better eye.  Lucky for them right?  Visual acuity is sometimes spared if the cone is located not directly on the visual axis (as seen in my attached corneal topography).  You will note there that the steepest portion of the cone is located slightly lower than the center.  Although their other eye has nearly perfect vision, the eye with moderate to advanced keratoconus may cause headaches due to very poor and even double vision.  Thus the need of managing the more affected eye.   Now back to the question....so does unilateral keratoconus exist?  In a study by Wei RH et al*, the incidence of unilateral keratoconus is only about 4.5%.  It was also indicated in the study that the fellow eye would u

For quite sometime, the only choice in keratoconus contact lenses is rigid gas permeable lenses.  But now, believe it or not, soft contact lenses are now in the running for contact lens options in managing conic corneas.  What is the difference between the regular off-the-shelves soft lenses to these keratoconus soft contact lenses?  Well, these special lenses are customised, either in material thickness or lens design to enable patients to achieve functional vision.    Which one is the best for you then?  SCLERAL LENSES vs KERATOCONUS SOFT CONTACT LENSES?   Trial fitting is the key to know which lens is the best for you.  Many considers vision as important, some though look at which type of lens matches his/her lifestyle more.   What is great about scleral lenses is that  this is the best for keratoconus patients with dry eyes as the cornea is constantly bathed in non-preserved saline solution.  And scleral lenses can definitely provide crisper vision even in advanced stage.  How

I like to tell my patients that fitting scleral contact lenses is not magic.  So do not expect that the first set of lenses that I put on your eyes will be the perfect ones already.   What to expect at your appointment for scleral contact lens fitting?  If you do not have your corneal topography results with you yet, your optometrist may want you to have it done.  This is not a must in scleral contact lens fitting, however, this can give a good picture of your condition's status---I definitely ask my patients to get one. Depending on your case, more scans can be done which can aid the optometrist in getting the best fit for you.   Expect to have different lenses placed on your eye.  Most of the time, this will involve a green dye which will be placed on the contact lenses so the optometrist can evaluate the way the contact lens rests on your cornea.  Your vision will be tested as well.  It never ceased to amaze me though that just when my patients have resigned and accepte

How long can you wear your scleral lenses? Hours in a day? Scleral lenses can usually be worn 12-14 hours straight.  However, most patients find that removing their lenses in the middle of the day can make their contact lens wear even better.  A few minutes off from scleral lenses allows the eyes to grasp a few more oxygen than when the lenses are on.  Cleaning the lenses in the middle of the day can also prevent unwanted debris from accumulating behind the lens, thus giving patients better vision throughout the day.   When to say goodbye to your scleral lenses? Similar to regular rigid gas permeable lenses, scleral lenses may last for 1-3 years.  BUT....... it depends on the following: How well do you clean your lenses? How's the surface quality of the lens?  Has your condition progressed?    I know that you may want to stretch the use of your scleral lenses because of the cost, but providing you functional vision to continue your everyday activities; and for