It either stabilizes the progression of Keratoconus or it is completely cured. The success rate ranges between 92-95%. Keratoconus is a condition of the cornea in which the normal curvature of the cornea becomes deshaped. Infactthe shape of the cornea becomes conical. Normal corneal structure is formed of collagen fibres. When you have Keratoconus, the usual chemical links between the collagen strands, which assure the regular shape of thecornea, are defective. This will make your cornea elastic.When the cross linking between the layers are weak, yourcornea will tend to thin, bulge and be deformed. The weakening will likewise distort the images you see and itwill change your vision. If left untreated, the fibers willcontinue to weaken and break down, thereby further damaging your corneal surface and worsening your vision. An advanced condition may warrant a corneal transplant.This is precisely the condition the Holcomb C3-R procedure wants to avoid.

What are the early symptoms of Keratoconus?
Early symptoms of Keratoconus are change in the spectacle power. When the disease progresses, vision deteriorates and may not improve with spectacles.It also causes distortion in vision with multiple images, streaking and sensitivity to light. Redness, watering and pain in the eye may also take place.

What is the treatment for Keratoconus?
The methods include

C3-R (Corneal Collagen Cross Linking with Riboflavin)
Cure Sight Laser centre is one of the first Laser centres in Gujarat to treat keratoconus by CXL method. We have treated hundreds of patients having keratoconus by CXL method, its results are amazing. It stabilises the shape ofcornea. During the treatment cornea is strengthened bytreating it with injection Riboflavin and Ultra violet light which creates cross linking of corneal collagen fibres and increases its strength up to 300 %. When detected early enough CXL can arrest the progression of Keratoconus. Patient can retain good sight with glasses, contact lenses and can be even treated by PRK as well as INTACS implantation.

Intacs:

INTACS (Intra-Corneal Ring Impacts) are used to correct very high astigmatism (Cylindrical numbers) caused by Keratoconus. In INTACS stromal trench is created by FS 200 femtosecond laser and INTACS rings are implanted into the trench which corrects astigmatism as well as sphericalelement created by Keratoconus to a larger extent. Patients get very good vision after INTACS implantation.

Method
Treating keratoconus using C3-R is fast and safe. Theprocedure is done on an outpatient basis, with the entireprocess taking about an hour and a half.

The following are the steps that are followed in administering this treatment option:

  Riboflavin eye drops are absorbed into the cornea.
  The outside of the eye is soaked in a specificwavelength of light. This wavelength of light will combine with the riboflavinso that chemical bonds will be created within thecornea.
  The resulting chemical bond will make the cornea morerigid and more stable.
  Expect a bit of discomfort, as some minor irritationmay be felt in the next 24 hours
  The eye doctor will provide you with protective softcontact lens. You will need to wear this for around acouple of days.
  Eye drop medications will also be prescribed. Apply the eye drops four times a day for the next five days. The frequency will then be lowered to twice a day forthe next four weeks.

The effects of this treatment have been found to bepermanent, so this option is a good alternative for thosewith this condition.

  C3R treatment only arrests the progression of Keratoconus.
  It doesn’t regress the damage of the cornea which hasalready taken place, before the treatment.
  It does not reduce the refractive error.

Corneal Transplantation

This is a surgical treatment, which is reserved for advanced cases of Keratoconus, where the vision cannot be improved with glasses or contact lenses. Here the central portion of cornea is removed and replaced with a donor cornea of similar size. Since there is high possibility of complications and graft rejection, the surgery is reserved for most advanced cases.