Kerataconus is a degenerative condition, which causes the cornea of the eye to thin. As it thins, the cornea will start to bulge. While an astigmatism also consists of bulges in the cornea, the bulges resulting from keratocanus are especially irregular. If you have kerataconus, contact lenses and glasses may not be enough to correct your vision completely. In some cases, intacs may be just what you need to get your vision back.
How Intacs Work
Intacs are two curved pieces of plastic which are placed under the cornea. To place the intacs, an eye surgeon will use a laser to create an incision in the cornea. The corrective pieces can then be slid into place and the incision closed. Once in place, the intacs will stretch the cornea, which will flatten the cornea in much the same way that pulling at the sides of a towel will remove wrinkles in the towel. Once the bulges in your cornea have been flattened, you should experience much less distortion; however, you may still need lenses or glasses to get the best vision possible.
What Makes You a Candidate for Intacs?
Keratoconus is a thinning of the cornea, and the thinner the cornea is, the less it makes sense to shave pieces of the cornea off with lasers. You will need to go into an evaluation with a eye surgeon, during which they will measure the thickness of your cornea. If your cornea is the right thickness, you still have a second problem. The bigger the bulges are in your cornea, the less help intacs will be. If your eye surgeon tells you that you have let your kerataconus go too long without fixing the condition, you will need to look into corneal cross-linking.
What is Cross-Linking?
Cross-linking involves shaving off the top layer of your cornea and then bombarding it with betacarotene. This process is meant to tighten the fibers in your cornea to prevent your eye from bulging any further. In that, the technicians will shave off the upper layer of your cornea, the procedure can also reduce the size of bulges in your cornea and bring your eye within the tolerance required to receive intacs.
If you have worsening vision with keratoconus, you should talk to your eye doctor to decide if you are a good candidate for intacs. In the best case scenario, your insurance will at least help cover the procedure, and you can fix your vision and get on with enjoying your life.
For more information, contact De Venuto Joseph J or a similar medical professional.
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