Keratoconus: Early Signs and When to Start Treatment

Keratoconus is a condition in which the cornea gradually shifts from its normal round shape into a bulging cone shape, which causes blurred vision that is hard to correct with ordinary glasses. Catching it early is the key to protecting your sight, because treatment in the first stages is simpler and more effective.

What are the earliest signs?

Symptoms often begin in the teenage years or twenties and develop slowly. The most important things to watch for are:

• Your eyeglass prescription keeps changing over short periods of time.
• Blurred or double vision that does not clear up with glasses.
• Growing sensitivity to light and glare, and trouble driving at night.
• A constant urge to rub the eyes, a habit that can make the condition worse.

Why does early diagnosis matter?

In the early stages the disease can be stopped before the patient loses a large part of their vision. When diagnosis is delayed, the condition can reach a point that calls for a corneal transplant, which is a far more complex procedure. For that reason we recommend a corneal topography scan as soon as any of the signs above appear.

What treatment options are available?

Treatment depends on the stage of the condition. In the early and middle stages, corneal crosslinking is usually enough to halt the decline, and ring implantation may be added to make the surface of the cornea more regular and the vision clearer. At Toronto Vision Eye Center the doctor sets the right plan after a careful examination of each case.