Blurred vision, difficulty seeing at night due to glare from lights, and uncomfortable, itchy eyes could be more than aging or allergies - you could have bulging corneas. This condition, known as keratoconus, runs in families and often shows up with no warning once you’re an adult.
At Advanced Lasik in Long Beach, California, and New York, New York, Dr. Randa Garrana provides corneal cross-linking with riboflavin to help strengthen the tissues around your cornea and prevent the middle of your cornea from bulging into a cone shape.
Keratoconus is a bulging of the cornea that can cause vision problems and eye irritation. Corneal cells produce by-products that damage tiny collagen fibers that help hold the cornea in place. Antioxidants protect the collagen fibers in the eye, but when antioxidants run low, the collagen can become thin and stretched, allowing the cornea to bulge.
Keratoconus has a genetic component, so if there is a family history, children should be checked by age 10. People who have it usually become aware by age 30. Symptoms include blurred vision, streaking of light, and glare and halos at night. This can happen quickly or over a time span of several years.
Corneal cross-linking uses eyedrop medication and ultraviolet (UV) light to strengthen the network of tissues holding the cornea in place, so it can't bulge out into a cone shape. It is an effective way to resolve the problem without corneal surgery.
Dr. Garrana can do the procedure in our office, where you can rest comfortably for the duration of the treatment. The treatment has three phases:
The entire treatment takes about 60-90 minutes. and then you can go home. You'll want someone to drive you.
If you think you may have keratoconus and could benefit from corneal cross-linking with riboflavin, contact our East Coast or West Coast office for a consultation with Dr. Garrana by calling or using our convenient scheduling tool to request an appointment.
