Can You Wear Contacts With Keratoconus?
Keratoconus is an eye condition that can make it difficult for your optometrist to fit you for contact lenses. However, specialty lenses could be the answer to your problem. If you are thinking of wearing contacts and you have keratoconus, here is what you need to know.
What Is Keratoconus?
To better understand why finding the right pair of contacts can be challenging, it is important to understand what keratoconus is. The eye condition occurs when the cornea starts to thin and bulge outward. At some point, it will start to be cone-shaped. The cone shape results in blurred vision that grows worse as the disease progresses.
In the earliest stages of the condition, you can most likely wear regular contact lenses. However, as the condition progresses, your optometrist might recommend switching to a specialty set of lenses. The soft regular contact lenses tend to move as the cornea bulges and your vision remains blurred.
What Types of Lenses Are Available?
When it comes to fitting you for lenses, the optometrist has several options. One of the most commonly used for keratoconus is a gas-permeable contact lens. The lens is composed of a rigid material that allows oxygen to still get to your cornea. Due to the rigidity of the lenses, the cornea cannot push it out of shape like soft lenses. As a result, the lenses do not move and your vision does not blur.
Another possible option are scleral contact lenses. Scleral contact lenses work by extending over the cornea and not on it. The lenses is large and sits on the whites of your eyes, or the sclera. It is because of this, no matter what the shape of the cornea, the lens still works. This lens is a good choice because it rarely moves and it does not put any pressure on the cornea.
Your optometrist could also recommend a hybrid lens. The lens is a combination of the rigid gas permeable contact and a soft lens. The center of the lens would be rigid, while the outer ridge is soft. Due to your eye condition, the rigid part of the lens would be designed similar to the scleral lens. It would not touch the cornea, but instead arch over it.
Your optometrist can assess your condition and its progression to determine which contact lenses are the best for you. If you do experience problems, inform your optometrist as soon as possible. Click here for more info.