Eye Surgery

Intracorneal Rings

These are plastic semi circular inserts that are placed by a surgeon within the body of the cornea. They act to reshape and flatten the cornea. Often they do not give a great improvement in vision but they can significantly reduce the effect of the aberrations that cause multiple images and ghosting.

Cross-linking (CXL)

This is a relatively new surgical procedure. It involves a one time application of riboflavin to the corneal surface (the corneal surface is sometimes scratched to allow better absorption of the drops) and then irradiation for around 30 minutes with ultraviolet light.

This procedure appears to strengthen the collagen fibres within the body of the cornea (stroma) thus increasing the cornea’s mechanical strength.

Many surgeons are now combining this procedure with intracorneal rings and the combination seems so far to be successful in reducing the progression of the condition.

Corneal grafting

If the cornea becomes very thin and/or scarred, a corneal transplant may be the only option to restore vision. Around 10% of keratoconics go on to require such grafting.