Specialised Keratoconus Lenses:

In the corneal disease called keratoconus, the shape of the cornea becomes very thin with the loss of structural integrity. A normal cornea which is smooth and round helps focus the light rays and lends 75% functionality to the eye. As the corneal optical surface is irregular in keratoconus, glasses are not able to fully remedy the situation and unable to provide improved vision quality.

In such cases, specially fitted RGP – rigid gas permeable contact lenses. Also variety of therapeutic and speciality KC contact lenses are used to cover the corneal irregularities to provide better focus to the incoming light rays. With application of rigid lens, the space between the cornea and the lens is filled with tears. These tears are very effective in neutralizing the irregular corneal structure and the optical effect of the cornea is diminished. Thus the corneal surface functionally behaves like a regular round shaped cornea. This new corneal surface is a regulated, clear and smooth cornea with the lenses providing the patients’ a clear image.
Specialized keratoconus lenses are a great solution which at times has been known to produce dramatic visual clarity to the patient. It is quite challenging for the doctor and rewarding for the patient to adapt to these lenses. They have a complex series of curves to address the irregularities of the cone shaped cornea and fit it such that the resulting vision is optimized for all daily activities.

We offer patients a host of specialised keratoconus lens to fit to the varied needs of patients with keratonic cornea. With the modern technology available at our center, we can understand the diseased cornea to apply the best lens available for restoring best possible vision.

The varied types of lenses available for keratonic cornea are:

1. RGP: Rigid Gas Permeable contact lenses. These are custom fitted for keratonic cornea to fit the patient’s eye. The assessment and fitting is done with the help of “color-map” – this shows and illustrates a picture of the topography of the diseased cornea. Based on this the eye doctor finds and fits you with the best treatment lens.
2. Hybrid (soft & rigid). These are also called the hybrid contact lenses which have large diameter. They are called hybrid because they have a rigid gas permeable central zone and has a peripheral soft silicone zone made of hydrogel material. This design has the dual advantage of the GP lens which gives visual clarity and the soft wearable comfort of the soft lens. The lens is so fabricated that the GP zone covers the cone shaped irregular cornea.
3. “Piggy-Back” fitting. GP lens does provide radical vision improvement but they cann be sometimes hard to wear. In such cases the doctor provides a solution of a fitting technique called the piggy back fitting. In it a soft contact lens is placed under the GP lens to cushion the GP lens and reduce friction and pressure in the eye.
4. Scleral : these lenses are specially designed for keratonic cornea and are referred to as scleral contact lens. Structurally it is a large contact lens and helps in creating a tear filled vault over the cornea thus eliminating the vision fault caused by it.

Specialised contact lenses are a great boon to keratonic cornea patients. And if fitted as per the needs of the patents they have been known to visibly enhance the vision quality of the patient.