Keratoconus is a degenerative non-inflammatory disorder of the eye in which structural changes within the cornea cause it to thin and change to a more conical shape than its normal, even curve. Keratoconus can cause substantial distortion of the vision, with multiple images, streaking and sensitivity to light all often reported by the patient. Though frequently thought of as a rare condition, keratoconus is the most common dystrophy of the cornea, affecting around one person in a thousand, and it seems to occur equally in all ethnic groups worldwide. It is typically diagnosed in the patient’s adolescent years and attains its most severe state in the twenties and thirties.
Keratoconus is a little-understood disease with an uncertain cause, and the course of its progression following diagnosis is unpredictable. Deterioration in vision associated with the disease, if in both eyes, can affect the person’s ability to drive a car. It does not, however, lead to blindness, and in most cases, corrective lenses are effective enough to allow the patient to continue to drive legally and likewise function normally. Further progression of the disease may lead to a need for...