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Keratoconus

Keratoconus, or "conical cornea" (from kerato- cornea and conus cone), is a degenerative disorder of the eye in which the cornea thins and changes shape to become more conical than the normal parabolic. more...

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Symptoms and diagnosis

Keratoconus can cause the vision to become distorted quite badly, with "ghosting", "streaking", and light sensitivity all often reported. The exact nature of the visual distortion introduced by keratoconus is most clearly seen with a high contrast field such as a point of light on a dark background – instead of seeing one point the person may see over 100 images spread out in a complex and random pattern. The pattern does not change from day to day, but over the seasons it often takes on new forms. Doctors tend not to ask exactly what the patient sees, but rather test the vision on a standard Snellen chart of progressively smaller letters. Definitive diagnosis is obtained using corneal topography, a non-invasive visualization of the shape of the surface of the cornea.

The visual distortion comes from two sources, one being the irregular deformation of the surface of the cornea; the other being scarring that occurs on its exposed highpoints. Although some think the scarring is from abrasion by contact lenses, the phenomenon also appears in those who do not use lenses and as such appears to be an aspect of the corneal degradation.

Keratoconus and the associated vision loss, if in both eyes, can affect the person's ability to legally drive a car and function normally. Corrective lenses though, in most cases, allow the person to still drive a car.

Prevalence and cause

The National Eye Institute reports that keratoconus is the most common eye dystrophy in the United States, affecting approximately 1 in every 2,000 Americans, but some reports place the figure as high as 1 in every 500.

Keratoconus seems to have genetic components. Keratoconus is also diagnosed more often in people with Down Syndrome, though the reasons for this link have not yet been determined. Keratoconus has been associated with atopic diseases, which include asthma, allergies, and eczema, and it is not uncommon for several or all of these diseases to affect one person. Science has no definitive explanation of what causes keratoconus, however a number of studies suggest that eye rubbing may contribute to its development.

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what's new
From Optometric Management, 10/1/05

FOR YOUR PATIENTS AND PRACTICE

The latest in lensmeters

* Marco and Nidek launched the LM-1200 Automatic Lensmeter at Vision Expo West last month. The LM-1200 uses Hartmann Shack technology to read 108 points on a lens, allowing users to determine instantly the add power of a progressive lens. Other features include a new ergonomie design, automatic lens type detection (automatically detects whether the lens is single vision or progressive and switches to correct mode), prism lens measurement, progressive channel width, progressive length and prism layout screen (allows optician to block an un-cut lens to include prism).

Marco Ophthalmic

Phone: (800) 874-5274

Web: marco.com

CIRCLE 1 ON YOUR READER SERVICE CARD.

Custom toric contact lens

* Unilens Vision introduces a new soft, custom toric contact lens, the C-Vue 55. The lens is made with Unilens' proprietary ALGES computer-controlled lathe system, which provides a full range of parameters with complete reproducibility. The company is offering the C-Vue 55 in made-to-order powers and axes in 1-degree steps. It's available in single-, three- and four-packs.

Unilens Vision Inc.

Phone: (800) 446-2020

Web: unilens.com

CIRCLE 2 ON YOUR READER SERVICE CARD.

Ophthalmoscope evolves

* Heine says its OMEGA 500 represents the evolution of the binocular indirect ophthalmoscope. Built on the optical design of the OMEGA 180, the 500 features an improved optical system that produces less reflexes and clear, high-resolution images that are up to 100% brighter. Heine says it's increased comfort by reducing the device's weight by 30% (compared with the 180) and redesigning the headband to provide more cushion area.

Heine

Phone: (800)-367-4872

Web: heine.com

CIRCLE 3 ON YOUR READER SERVICE CARD.

Risk-free trial

* Metro Optics is offering a six-month, ultimate satisfaction guarantee for its ComfortKone keratoconus fitting system. The advanced aspheric lens is designed to fit patients in any stage of keratoconus. It creates an alignment fit over the cornea, so it does not make contact with the corneal surface, providing optimum comfort and visual clarity for the keratoconus patient. The lens then flattens into an aspheric curve.

The ComfortKone fitting set includes 20 lenses and a fitting guide. Metro Optics says the set will fit 85% of patients.

Metro Optics

Phone: (800) 223-1858

Web: metro-optics.com

CIRCLE 4 ON YOUR READER SERVICE CARD.

Improve cataract outcomes

* Accutome's new Accutome A-Plus immersion-capable A-Scan can measure all types of eyes, including those with dense cataracts and filled with silicon oil. The A-Plus displays IOL calculations in the 0.25D increments necessary for measuring patients for newer IOLs and also offers independent velocities and IOL material features, as well as post-refractive software. Additionally, the A-Plus contains storage space for 100 patient records and 45 IOLs; you can download information to your PC.

Accutome

Phone: (800) 979-2020

Web: accutome.com

CIRCLE 5 ON YOUR READER SERVICE CARD.

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