Keratoconus Treatment with our Jacksonville Optometrists

If you’ve ever tried to look through the curves of a drinking glass or gazed upon a funhouse mirror, you know how surfaces can affect the way light interacts with them. Unfortunately, this is also true of the corneal aberration known as keratoconus. This cone-like bulging of the corneas interferes with the way light enters the eye, causing significant vision problems which can be hard to correct. But you can get the help you need with your keratoconus right here at our Jacksonville FL optometry clinic.

The Battle of the Bulge: Keratoconus vs. Your Corneas

Nobody’s perfect, and that usually goes for eyes as well. But ideally, the human cornea should be shaped as a perfect half-sphere. This permits the even refraction of incoming light for clear image processing. In people with keratoconus, the cornea tends to bulge outward, often forming a characteristic cone-like shape. The unusual configuration bends and distorts the incoming light, which can cause severe myopia and astigmatism.

Keratoconus tends to start in the teenage years and progress throughout adulthood before finally slowing down — but by then, it has left you with significant challenges. For one thing, ordinary soft contacts (which are designed to conform to the corneas beneath them) can’t correct severe keratoconus. Additionally, the corneal tissue may occasionally swell or form tiny cracks that cause even more vision trouble.

VAL-Uvision Can Help You Cope With Keratoconus

Keratoconus is a specialized issue that calls for extra care and attention — and that’s just what we offer here at VAL-Uvision. Our optometry team can diagnose keratoconus during a comprehensive eye exam. Regular, annual eye exams allow the condition to be detected early, giving us the widest range of treatment options.

The simplest treatment for keratoconus is a prescription for eyeglasses. We can fabricate lenses that compensate perfectly for your corneal aberrations, although periodic prescription updates will probably be necessary. Soft contacts may do some good for mild to moderate keratoconus, but once the distortion becomes severe enough, we will recommend specialized contacts made of rigid gas permeable materials. Scleral contacts are particularly effective for correcting keratoconus because they don’t sit on the corneas at all — instead, they vault right over them, extending all the way to the sclera (the white of the eye). If you reach that you require more advanced care, we can refer you to the necessary specialist and co-manage your corrective vision procedures.

Talk to Any Jacksonville Optometrist on Our Team

Our teams of eye care specialist are here answer all your questions regarding your vision and eye care need. Call VAL-Uvision at 904-730-2299 today!