Keratoconus

Our Colorado Springs Optometry Center Can Compensate for Your Keratoconus

When you suffer from keratoconus, you may feel as if your vision is on an irreversible downward spiral. This abnormality of the cornea of the eye can seriously distort the refraction of incoming light, creating severe myopia, astigmatism and other issues. To make matters worse, the unusual cone-like deformations caused by keratoconus can pose a formidable challenge for contact lens wearers. But you’re not necessarily stuck with eyeglasses or other corrective techniques, because our Colorado Springs optometry center offers specialized contacts that can compensate for the disorder.

Keratoconus vs. Contacts

Keratoconus is named after the cone-shaped outward bulge that typically occurs in the corneas of people who suffer from the condition, as opposed to the normal, smooth sphere of healthy corneas. This somewhat-mysterious condition seems to be associated with factors ranging from congenital tissue weakness and oxidative damage to excessive rubbing of the eyes. Whatever its cause, keratoconus makes its first appearance in young adulthood and may progress for decades before finally settling down. By that time, your corneas may have become deformed to the extent that standard soft contact lenses cannot correct your vision adequately — which only makes sense, since these lenses are designed to conform to your corneal curvature. As a result, many keratoconus sufferers assume that they’re limited to eyeglasses for correction of mild to moderate keratoconus. But the truth is that there are several kinds of contact lenses that can indeed surmount the challenges set down by this corneal issue.

Specialized Contact Lens Options

If wearing eyeglasses is inconvenient for your lifestyle or simply not an appealing prospect to you, let Powers eye Center evaluate your keratoconus to see whether you’re a good candidate for our specialized contact lens options. These options include:

• RGP (Rigid Gas Permeable) Contacts – These contacts, unlike their soft siblings, hold a consistent shape as they sit on the cornea. This gives you steady, consistent correction of the refractive errors caused by keratoconus.
• Hybrid Contacts – If you need the corrective powers of RGP lenses but you also want the comfort of soft contacts, hybrid lenses can provide that combination. These lenses have a soft outer rim and a rigid interior.
• Scleral Contacts – Scleral contacts are perhaps the ultimate contact lens for countering keratoconus. These contacts vault over the misshapen corneas, anchored on the sclera (or white of the eye) to compensate for larger corneal deformations.

Get the clearer vision you seek at Powers Eye Center.

Keratoconus can be dealt with in many ways, including expertly-chosen, precisely-fitted contacts for your particular condition. Even if you’re not the ideal candidate for contact lenses, we can help you find the best solution for a lifetime of optimal visual clarity. Call Powers Eye Center at 719-598-5068 to learn more about our contact lenses for keratoconus and to schedule an evaluation at our Colorado Springs clinic!