Keratoconus: Bulging Corneas Affect Teenagers & Young Adults Submitted by Atlanta Vision Cataract and Laser Center on June 7, 2017

Keratoconus is the medical term for a condition that causes the cornea (the outer surface of the eye) to bulge outward, forming a cone shape. This occurs when the corneal tissue begins to progressively thin over time, making it difficult for the eye to hold the proper dome shape. Keratoconus is most often diagnosed in teenagers and young adults in their early 20s.

The more severe the corneal distortion, the more visual disruption you will have. A cone-shaped cornea will cause light entering the eyes to land in a scattered pattern around the retina (the back of the eye), leading to blurry vision. Patients can also experience light sensitivity.

As you can imagine, having keratoconus at such a young age can greatly impede a student’s ability to learn, work on a computer, drive a car and even hold a job. The longer the condition progresses without treatment, the harder it will be to live with this condition.

Treatment for Keratoconus

Depending on the progression of the condition, our keratoconus doctors in Atlanta can treat the condition in a variety of ways to slow the progression of the disease:

  • Glasses or soft contact lenses
  • Rigid gas permeable contact lenses
  • Corneal cross-linking (CXL) to actually strengthen the corneal tissue and flatten the corneal bulge
  • Intacs® corneal implants to reshape the curvature of the cornea
  • Corneal transplant (in severe cases)

If you or a loved one is experiencing vision difficulties due to a bulging cornea in Atlanta, schedule an eye exam today with our Atlanta keratoconus specialists to find out what treatment might be right to combat this debilitating condition.

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