Keratoconus

Keratoconus is a disorder of the eye

Keratoconus is a disorder of the eye due to the gradual thinning and bulging of the central portion of the cornea in a conical shape. It is associated with significant visual problems like blurring and distortion of vision, increased sensitivity to light etc. Early stages are treatable with glasses while corneal transplantation is required for advanced stages to restore vision.

The Centre of Excellence for Keratoconus @Narayana Nethralaya is equipped with the most advanced technologies available in the world for diagnosing, evaluating and treating all forms of Keratoconus and with Dr Rohit Shetty at its helm is a pioneer in the field of Keratoconus Research and Genetics. Dr Rohit Shetty holds an international PhD(Netherlands) for his extensive work in Keratoconus, and along with his team of scientists is responsible for many path breaking discoveries including discovering new genes responsible for the disease, establishing and treating Keratoconus as an inflammatory disorder and newer Surgical Laser Treatment modalities which are now being followed all around the world.

Lets Talk About Keratoconus

The Centre of Excellence for Keratoconus @Narayana Nethralaya is equipped with the most advanced technologies available in the world for diagnosing, evaluating and treating all forms of Keratoconus and with Dr Rohit Shetty at its helm is a pioneer in the field of Keratoconus Research and Genetics. Dr Rohit Shetty holds an international PhD(Netherlands) for his extensive work in Keratoconus, and along with his team of scientists is responsible for many path breaking discoveries including discovering new genes responsible for the disease, establishing and treating Keratoconus as an inflammatory disorder and newer Surgical Laser Treatment modalities which are now being followed all around the world.

Narayana Nethralaya’s Journey in the field of Keratoconus Research began in the later half of the first decade of 2000 while the world still believed that Keratoconus was a noninflammatory and degenerative disease without a well understood pathogenesis. The department on an average sees …….patients from all over India and performs …… Keratoconus related surgeries every year. These patients stand as testimony and brand ambassadors to the quality of care offered at NN.

Keratoconus is a relatively rare disease with prevalence estimates ranging from 4 per 100,000 people to 600 per 100,000 with prevalence about equal between males and females. A disease that mostly begins at puberty, it progresses far into the mid-30s, developing in both eyes in majority of cases, though the rate of progression and the timing of the onset of Keratoconus may vary with each eye.

With Keratoconus, the cornea thins and bulges into an irregular cone shape, resulting in vision impairment. In the cornea, the middle layer is the thickest part of the cornea, mostly made up of water and a protein called collagen. Collagen gives the cornea its strong and flexibility. This healthy cornea focuses light so you can see clearly.

Diagnosis of Keratoconus

To diagnose Keratoconus, we will review your medical and family history and conduct an eye exam. This also involves other tests to determine more details regarding the shape and strength of your cornea.

Eye-refraction

Eye refraction

We have specially trained optometrists who will use special equipment to check for the right combination of lenses to give you the sharpest vision.

Slit-lamp-examination

Slit-lamp examination

A vertical beam of light is used on the surface of your eye through a low-powered microscope to view your eye. He or she evaluates the shape of your cornea and looks for other potential problems in your eye like allergy etc which have a strong association with keratoconus.

Computerized-corneal-mapping-scaled

Computerized corneal mapping

Advanced diagnostic tests, such as optical coherence tomography and corneal topography, record images of your cornea to create a detailed shape map of your cornea’s surface, as well as measure the thickness of your cornea. We also have advanced equipments that help measure the strength of your cornea.