Keratoconus Treatment

Keratoconus is known as one of the most common diseases affecting the cornea of the eye, where the rigidity of collagen fibers deteriorates, causing its shape to change from spherical to a conical shape resembling a funnel, which causes thinning of the cornea and blurred vision.

The onset of this disease occurs gradually, and typically stops progressing around the age of forty.

Keratoconus treatment at Dr. Ahmed El-Shahed Center depends on the severity of the condition and the patient’s case, and may involve using a single treatment technique or combining several techniques to achieve optimal results, including:

Corneal Transplant Surgery: When keratoconus progresses to a very severe stage where the cornea ruptures due to extreme forward protrusion, none of the initial treatment options are effective, and the patient requires a corneal transplant in which the damaged layers or the entire cornea are replaced with a cornea obtained from a recently deceased donor under specific conditions.

Corneal Cross-Linking Procedure: This involves using eye drops containing riboflavin (the scientific name for vitamin B2), These drops are applied to the surface of the eye, and then ultraviolet rays are directed at it to strengthen the collagen fibers in the corneal layers, thereby stabilizing the shape of the cornea as it is without any future changes.

Intracorneal Ring Implantation: In more advanced cases, this procedure is performed using femtosecond laser beams directed toward the corneal layers in a calculated manner at specific points, creating a hollow channel within them, and then specialized rings are implanted inside this channel, These rings work to reshape the cornea forward and restore it to its natural shape as much as possible, thereby treating keratoconus with high precision.