Keratoconus is an eye condition characterised by the thinning of your corneas, the front surface of your eyes. When you are suffering from this condition, your corneas will be cone-shaped and non-symmetrical.
Due to the unusual shape of the corneas, the light that enters your eyes will be dispersed irregularly. While eye glasses may be utilised to help relieve the symptoms of keratoconus, they are not 100% successful in correcting your vision.
Currently, more and more people are discovering the benefits of using contact lenses as opposed to eye glasses in addressing keratoconus. Note, however, that you may need to get professional advice with regard to the type of contact lenses you can use as not all types can help solve your condition. For instance, soft contact lenses in many cases will be ineffective. If you put them on top of irregularly shaped corneas, they will simply adopt the shape of your non-symmetrical corneas due to their softness. In the end, you will not have any significant improvement in your vision.
Rigid contact lenses like specially designed gas permeable lenses may be more viable in addressing keratoconus. But as mentioned above, professional advice is still a must since each eye and each condition is different and with varying requirements. There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to choosing contact lenses to correct your keratoconus. Customized lenses may even be necessary.
These types of lenses are best fitted by an experienced optometrist, whose principle focus is keratoconus management and contact lens fitting.
Here are some options for contact lenses that may be prescribed to solve your keratoconus:
• Large Diameter Gas Permeable Lenses. Some cones may require large diameter and intralimbal lenses to provide better vision and improved comfort.
• Specially Designed Gas Permeable Lenses. These lenses are designed in such a way that the interior curves vault a protruding area of the cornea. There are different cone designs to choose from, depending on your condition. The more popular designs include the CLC PGA and RoseK contact lenses.
• Synergeyes Hybrid Contact Lenses. Some people would still prefer to use soft contact lenses because they are more comfortable to wear. They can get that with these contact lenses. These are gas permeable center contact lenses that have a soft lens skirt attached to the outside. They are comfortable to wear while providing the optics of gas permeable lenses.
• Semi-Scleral Contact Lenses. They are about the same size as soft contact lenses but they are made of hyper oxygen permeable materials. They fit beyond your cornea and they extend to the white part of your eye. They are comfortable to use and they provide superior vision at the same time.
• Wave Custom Designed Contact Lenses. These contact lenses are topography based designed. Your corneal map will be loaded into a CAD lens designing software. The software will be used to design contact lenses that are specifically made for your corneas to address your keratoconus.
• Piggyback Contact Lens System. Soft lenses will be placed on your eyes. Afterwards, specially fit gas permeable contact lenses will be placed on top of the soft contact lenses. This addresses your need for health, comfort and vision.
At The Eye Practice Dr Jim Kokkinakis Optometrist has been fitting contact lenses to patients with keratoconus for over 20 years.
Finding your specific vision solution for keratoconus is unique to the individual. This requires meticulous assessment before a customised process can begin. Call us now and make an appointment with Jim Kokkinakis on (02) 9290 1899 or BOOK an APPOINTMENT ONLINE.
