With 40+ years of expertise, we provide tailored care for keratoconus and corneal graft patients, offering custom designed contact lenses to restore your vision.
Trusted Eye Care Since 1980!
Specialist Contact Lenses
Comprehensive Care for Keratoconus and Corneal Graft Patients!
With over 40 years of experience, we specialize in managing keratoconus, a progressive condition that distorts vision, and providing post-surgical solutions for corneal graft patients.
CAUSES, SYMPTOMS AND DIAGNOSIS
Understanding Keratoconus:
A Progressive Eye Condition
Keratoconus is a progressive eye condition in which the cornea, the clear, dome-shaped front surface of the eye, gradually thins and weakens, causing it to bulge outward into a cone-like shape. This abnormal shape distorts vision by creating irregular astigmatism and often leads to blurred or distorted sight.
Keratoconus often begins in the teenage years or early adulthood and may progress over time. In some cases, the condition stabilizes, while in others, it continues to worsen.
Common symptoms include blurred vision, sensitivity to light, difficulty seeing at night, frequent changes in spectacle prescription and double vision or ghosting.
The exact cause is not fully understood, but genetics, environmental factors, and chronic eye rubbing are believed to play a role. It is also associated with conditions like Down syndrome, allergies, and connective tissue disorders.
Keratoconus is diagnosed through corneal topography, which maps the curvature of the cornea, showing the characteristic cone-shaped protrusion.
FROM GLASSES TO ADVANCED TREATMENTS
Effective Management Options for Keratoconus
Glasses or Soft Contact Lenses
In the early stages, mild keratoconus can often be corrected with spectacles or soft contact lenses. Customised soft lenses are available with supreme optics and materials allowing all day comfort with improved vision.
Rigid Gas Permeable Lenses
As the condition progresses, rigid contact lenses are often needed to provide a smooth refracting surface over the irregular cornea.
Hybrid Lenses
Combine the comfort of a soft lens and the superior vision provided by the rigid lens. Great option for people with reduced tolerance to rigid lenses.
Scleral Lenses
These large diameter lenses vault over the cornea and rest on the sclera (the white part of the eye), providing comfort and better vision correction.
Corneal Cross-Linking (CXL)
This treatment strengthens the corneal tissue by applying riboflavin (vitamin B2) and UV light. It helps halt the progression of keratoconus by increasing the cross-links in the corneal fibers. CXL can produce significant flattening of the cornea as well as improvement in vision post operatively.
Corneal Transplant (Keratoplasty)
In severe cases where vision cannot be corrected with lenses or cross-linking, a corneal transplant may be necessary to replace the damaged cornea with a donor cornea.
MANAGING POST-TRANSPLANT CHALLENGES
Corneal Graft: Restoring Vision
with Donor Tissue
Overview
It is a surgical procedure in which a damaged or diseased cornea is replaced with healthy donor tissue. When the cornea becomes scarred or damaged, it can severely impair vision, making transplantation necessary.
Penetrating Keratoplasty (PKP)
Penetrating Keratoplasty (PKP) is a full thickness graft, where the entire thickness of the central part of the cornea is removed and replaced with a donor.
Deep Anterior Lamellar Keratoplasty (DALK)
Deep Anterior Lamellar Keratoplasty (DALK) is a partial thickness graft. Only the outer layers of the cornea are replaced, preserving the inner endothelial layer.
Keratoconus and Corneal Transplantation
The most common diagnosis eventually leading to transplantation is keratoconus. Up to 25% of these patients may require a contact lens correction after surgery, usually a corneal or scleral RGP lens.
Challenges of Fitting Contact Lenses Post-Transplant
Fitting contact lenses after corneal transplantation can be challenging. Despite advances in surgical techniques, high irregular astigmatism, myopia and hypermetropia still remain common after surgery.
Custom Contact Lens Solutions for Grafted Eyes
In our practice we offer all type of contact lenses to accommodate these often very complicated eyes including scleral contact lenses. By combining advanced materials, precision fit using niche technology and high performance optics we design lenses that maximize comfort and support the long-term health of the grafted eye while offering sharp vision throughout the day.
ADVANCED SOLUTIONS
Managing Post-Refractive Surgery Vision Issues
Overview
Refractive surgery has evolved significantly, providing a wide range of options for correcting various vision problems.
Types of Refractive Surgery
The most common types of refractive surgery include LASIK (Laser in situ Keratomileusis), PRK (Photorefractive Keratectomy), LASEK (Laser Epithelial Keratomileusis) and SMILE (Small Incision Lenticule Extraction).
Potential Complications of Refractive Surgery
Although refractive surgery is generally safe, potential complications include dry eyes, glare, haloes, under or over correction, infection or inflammation, decentred ablations corneal ectasia.
Corneal Ectasia: A Serious Complication
Corneal ectasia is a serious complication where the cornea becomes progressively thinner and weaker after surgery, leading to vision deterioration. It’s more likely in patients with undetected corneal abnormalities such as keratoconus.
Post-Surgery Vision Challenges
A small proportion of these patients end up with suboptimal vision needing glasses, contact lenses or further refractive surgery. For some individuals, custom-made contact lenses may be the only option for optimum vision.
Challenges of Contact Lens Fitting Post-Surgery
- The cornea may have an unusual shape after refractive surgery making contact lens fitting more complex.
- Some patients may find it uncomfortable to wear contact lenses after surgery due to dry eyes.
Contact Lens Solutions After Refractive Surgery
Contact lenses provide an excellent solution for managing and correcting complications following refractive surgery. In our specialist practice we manage these complicated cases using the latest advancements in contact lens technology maximizing comfort, promoting corneal health and optimum vision.
CUSTOMIZED CARE FOR YOUNG EYES
Paediatric Contact Lenses
Introduction
Paediatric contact lenses can be an excellent solution for managing myopia and other refractive anomalies in children. They are safe to deal with babies and children with various eye conditions. Quite often spectacles are not suitable and contact lenses are the only option to correct their vision.
Indications
- Babies born with cataracts
- High Myopia
- High Hypermetropia
- Anisometropia where one eye is very different from the other. Contact lenses will give a more balanced vision reducing the risk for the bad eye becoming lazy
- Irregular astigmatism from trauma or Herpes Simplex Virus scarring
- Photophobia (sensitivity to light), albinism, aniridia (no iris), iris coloboma
Benefits of Paediatric Contact Lenses
Contact lenses provide balanced vision, reducing the risk of the “bad eye” becoming lazy, especially in cases of anisometropia. They can also be the only option for correcting vision in children with unique eye conditions.
Our Expertise
Our niche expertise in paediatric contact lenses positions our practice as a national reference, making it a go-to for babies and children needing customized contact lenses. This specialization is highly valuable, particularly for parents seeing the best care for their children’s vision.
RESTORING APPEARANCE, COMFORT AND CONFIDENCE
Prosthetic Contact Lenses
Overview
Prosthetic contact lenses are specialized lenses designed to cover congenital or acquired defects in the eye or to improve the aesthetic appearance of the eye. They have both medical and cosmetic applications. Below are some key points about prosthetic contact lenses:
Applications
- Cosmetic Enhancement
For individuals with disfigured or discoloured eyes due to injury, disease, or surgery, these lenses provide a more normal appearance.
- Vision Correction
They can incorporate vision-correcting prescriptions if needed, serving a dual purpose of cosmetic improvement and vision correction.
- Therapeutic Reasons
Help alleviate issues like light sensitivity or glare.
Serve as a bandage to protect the cornea.
Benefits
- Improved Aesthetics
Restore a natural look to eyes with congenital or acquired defects.
- Enhanced Comfort
Reduce symptoms like light sensitivity and discomfort resulting from ocular surface disorders.
- Psychological Benefits
Improve self-esteem and confidence, particularly in social and professional settings.
Our Expertise
Our specialist practice is at the forefront of eye care, providing not just solutions, but also personal and empathetic care to improve both visual and aesthetic outcomes for our patients.
CUSTOM SOLUTIONS FOR CORNEAL RECOVERY AND PAIN RELIEF
Therapeutic Contact Lenses
Introduction
In addition to our specialized offerings, our practice provides therapeutic contact lenses, which serve both protective and healing purposes.
Healing and Protection
Bandage Contact Lenses: These are soft lenses used to protect the cornea in cases of injury, surgery, or corneal disease. They provide a protective barrier, allowing the cornea to heal while reducing discomfort and promoting faster recovery.
Treatment for Corneal Conditions
Corneal Erosion and Ulcers: Therapeutic lenses are used to manage conditions like recurrent corneal erosion or corneal ulcers, keeping the eye hydrated and promoting tissue repair.
Severe Dry Eye: For patients with extreme dry eyes, therapeutic lenses such as scleral lenses provide continuous moisture, offering relief from discomfort and preventing further damage to the cornea.
Chronic Inflammation: These lenses can also help manage ocular surface diseases like keratitis, reducing inflammation and allowing the corneal surface to regenerate.
Pain Management
Therapeutic lenses can be used to alleviate pain from conditions like bullous keratopathy, post-PRK discomfort, or after trauma, making everyday life more comfortable for patients.
Our Expertise
Our practice offers custom-made therapeutic lenses that are designed to address each patient’s unique condition. Whether it’s for trauma, chronic disease, or post-surgery care, these lenses are individually designed to meet the exact specifications needed for healing and comfort.
