Eye Keratoconus Blindness

Keratoconus is an eye condition where the clear front surface of the eye the cornea gets thin and bulges outward into a cone shape.

Eye keratoconus blindness.

This usually begins in the teens or early 20s but can affect children as young as 8 years old or people in their 50s and 60s. Annie nguyen by eric weintraub. It usually develops in one eye first and then later in the other eye. Keratoconus is a progressive eye disease in which the normally round cornea thins and begins to bulge into a cone like shape.

Keratoconus often referred to as kc is a slowly progressive non inflammatory eye disease that causes the cornea to thin and bulge out taking on a cone shaped appearance. Can keratoconus cause blindness. If the back of the cornea tears it can. Keratoconus ker uh toe koh nus occurs when your cornea the clear dome shaped front surface of your eye thins and gradually bulges outward into a cone shape.

Keratoconus can occur in one or both eyes and often begins during a person s teens or early 20s. Keratoconus clear central covering of the eye representing a cone keratoconus is a degenerative disease of the cornea that causes it to gradually thin and bulge into a cone like shape. Ever since roslymn caldwell was born she had eye conditions. It receives nourishment from tears and the aqueous humor.

I was speaking with my good friend dr. David evans last modified on august 6 2018. Keratoconus usually affects both eyes though it often affects one eye more than the other. What began as a lazy eye in childhood advanced to keratoconus in adulthood and caldwell was blind for all of her adult life.

Roslymn caldwell right with her ophthalmologist dr. Your cornea focuses light into your eye to help produce a clear image. In keratoconus your cornea becomes weaker and thinner at its centre. Keratoconus keh rah toe cone us affects your cornea the clear dome shaped window at the front of your eye.

A cone shaped cornea causes blurred vision and may cause sensitivity to light and glare. This thinning causes it to bulge outwards in an irregular cone shape. With severe keratoconus the stretched collagen fibers can lead to severe scarring. Scarring of the cornea caused by a wide variety of infectious and inflammatory diseases leads to severe vision loss and blindness.

This shape prevents light from focusing precisely on the macula. The cornea s job is to refract light that enters the eye. This cone shape deflects light as it enters the eye on its way to the light sensitive retina causing distorted vision.