Hey everyone! Today I want to share something that has been a part of my life for the past five years: keratoconus. Keratoconus is a weird eye disease that makes the cornea, the clear front part of the eye, get thinner and stick out like a cone. This messes up the light that comes into the eye and makes everything look blurry and twisted.
I first realized something was wrong when I couldn’t read signs or see things far away. I thought I just needed glasses, but when I went to the eye doctor, he told me I had keratoconus. He said that glasses might help me a little bit at first, but as the disease gets worse, I would need special contact lenses to see better.
He gave me scleral contact lenses, which are big round lenses that cover the whole cornea and sit on the white part of the eye (sclera). These lenses make the eye smooth and even over the bumpy cornea and give me clear and comfy vision. They also keep some fluid between the lens and the eye, which helps my eye stay wet and healthy.
At first, I was scared by how big and weird these lenses looked. They were like tiny bowls that I had to fill with salt water and put on my eyes. It took me a while and some practice to learn how to put them in and take them out right. But once I got used to them, I was blown away by how much better I could see. Colors were more vivid, shapes were more clear, and I felt more sure of myself in my daily life.
But scleral lenses are not a fix for keratoconus. They only make me see better when I wear them. The disease can still get worse and hurt my cornea more. That’s why two years ago, I chose to have a surgery called corneal collagen crosslinking to stop the disease from getting worse.
Crosslinking is a surgery that makes the cornea stronger by making new links between the stuff in the middle of the cornea. It involves putting some vitamin B2 (riboflavin) drops on the cornea and then shining some ultraviolet (UV) light on it for about 30 minutes. This makes a reaction that makes the cornea more stiff and stable.
The surgery was done with some numbing drops and didn’t hurt much. The healing was not too bad either. I had to wear a bandage contact lens for a week and use some drops to keep my eye from getting infected or swollen. I also had to stay away from rubbing my eyes, getting water in my eyes, wearing makeup, doing hard exercise, or being in smoky or dusty places for a few weeks.
The results of crosslinking didn’t show up right away. It took several months for my vision to stop changing and get better. My doctor told me that crosslinking doesn’t undo the damage already done by keratoconus, but it stops it from getting worse. He also said that I would still need to wear scleral lenses after crosslinking, but they might fit nicer and last longer.
I’m happy I had crosslinking because it made me feel better that my vision wouldn’t get worse. But I still have some problems living with keratoconus. For example, I don’t drive at night because I can’t see well in the dark. This makes it hard for me to hang out with friends or do fun things at night.
Another thing that bugs me is that I have to take off my lenses before going to bed, which means I can’t read books or watch movies before sleeping. Reading books has always been one of my favorite things to do, and watching movies is a great way to chill out and forget about everything for a while. But without my lenses, everything is fuzzy and twisted. I wish I could see clearly without any help.
Sometimes I wonder how it would feel to have normal vision again. To be able to wake up in the morning and see the world without any blur or twist. To be able to read a book or watch a movie in bed without any trouble or pain. To be able to drive at night without any worry or stress.
But then I remember how lucky I am to have treatments that can help me deal with my condition. Keratoconus is not a deadly disease, but it can make your life harder. That’s why I want to spread awareness and support for people who have keratoconus or other eye diseases. There are many resources and groups that offer information, education, help, and research for keratoconus patients and their families.
If you have keratoconus or know someone who does, don’t give up hope. There are options available to help you see better and live better. Talk to your eye doctor about what works best for you and your situation. And remember, you are not alone in this journey.
Thank you for reading my blog post. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below or contact me through social media. Stay tuned for more updates on my life with keratoconus.
Hailey Kearney