Keratoconus

ARTICLE SECTIONS

Definition Symptoms Causes Risk factors

Complications Tests and diagnosis Treatments and drugs Prevention

Definition

Keratoconus occurs when your cornea — the clear, dome-shaped surface of your eye — thins out, gradually producing a cone-shaped bulge in the front of your eye. A cone-shaped cornea causes blurred vision and may cause increased sensitivity to light and glare, as well as headaches from eyestrain. Keratoconus usually affects both eyes and typically begins during puberty or late teens, and then progresses over about 10 years.

In the early stages of keratoconus, the vision problems caused by the distorted cornea can be corrected effectively with glasses or soft contact lenses. As keratoconus progresses, you may have to be fitted with special rigid gas permeable contact lenses. Advanced keratoconus may require surgery.

NEXT:

Symptoms