Eye diseases are incredibly common, with many Americans over the age of 40 currently living with an eye disease. Eye diseases can affect someone's vision, leading to total or partial vision loss. This can severely lower someone's quality of life and impact their ability to complete daily activities. One of the eye diseases that should be treated by an ophthalmologist as soon as possible is keratoconus.
If you've been diagnosed with keratoconus or are noticing changes in your vision, visit us at New Century Ophthalmology to see how we can help. Our eye doctor can provide high-quality eye care services to residents of Oxford, NC, and Raleigh, NC. We want our patients to find relief from eye diseases and manage their disorders to prevent vision loss.
What Is Keratoconus?
If you've ever seen an eye up close, you might have noticed how it looks like a perfect shaped round dome. Unfortunately, not all eyes are shaped this way. Keratoconus is a condition that causes the cornea of the eye to be shaped like a cone. This can cause a variety of symptoms, including:
- Blurry vision
- Glare while driving
- Distorted vision
- Sensitivity to light
- Trouble driving at night
- Worsening eyeglasses prescriptions
- Sudden cloudy vision
If you've noticed any of these symptoms, it's important to reach out to an eye doctor right away for help. Keratoconus should be diagnosed and treated by a professional.
How an Ophthalmologist can Help
An ophthalmologist on our team is trained in recognizing, diagnosing, and treating eye diseases including keratoconus. He or she will conduct an eye exam to determine if your symptoms are caused by keratoconus or another condition. Because symptoms can mimic other vision disorders, your eye doctor will do a variety of tests to diagnose keratoconus.
These tests can include mapping of the eye to determine if there are any irregularities. They will then prescribe the best treatment for keratoconus. Treatment can be as simple as prescribing special contact lenses known as scleral lenses. These lenses fit over the entirety of the eye and are designed specifically for people with keratoconus.
Other options for eye care might include surgery to correct keratoconus.
Find Help for Keratoconus with Our Eye Doctor
If not treated, keratoconus can lead to severe vision problems. Keratoconus can be treated with the help from our eye doctor at New Century Ophthalmology serving Raleigh, NC, and Oxford, NC. Call us at (919) 861-4494 (Raleigh) or (919) 693-6661 (Oxford) to schedule an appointment.