Keratoconus Philippines

November 10 is WORLDKC Day!  I tell my keratoconus patients about it and they were all surprised that there is such a day.  It is not actually a celebration that they have keratoconus, but it is  a good time to raise awareness about this disease.   Keratoconus is a condition where the cornea becomes thinner progressively over time.  Although the real cause is unknown, it is often associated with atopic diseases, history of eye rubbing and may sometimes have a genetic role.  Symptoms of keratoconus includes blurring of vision, light sensitivity, ghosting of vision and frequent need to change the prescription.  When the central cornea is affected, patient will not be able to achieve 20/20 vision.   The younger the patient is diagnosed, the more severe the keratoconus usually is.  There is a higher percentage of incidence in Asians with both genders being affected equally.  The incidence was estimated to be 1 in 2000, but recent data shows that this ratio seemed to be underesti

One of the most common signs of keratoconus is frequent change of eyeglasses.   It is common to find the need to change your glasses due to constant increase of prescription.   You may find that in a year, you need to have your lenses changed at least twice, and in most cases, you are always not satisfied with the vision your new glasses give you.   Your nearsightedness keeps on increasing and you do not know what to do.   In early stages, keratoconus can mask itself as just a simple error of refraction specifically nearsightedness and astigmatism.  A characteristic of a keratoconus cone is having a steep cornea, and this will cause the light to converge in front of the retina, causing nearsightedness.  And because the changes on the cornea can be uneven, irregular astigmatism is being created.   In mild cases, patients can still achieve a 20/20 vision while wearing their glasses and eventually as the disease progresses, vision is not correctable to 20/20 anymore.  One may n