North Florida Corneal Rehabilitation Center

Keratoconus

Keratoconus is a non-inflammatory protrusion of the cornea.  It is characterized by progressive steepening and thinning of the cornea.  As the conditions progressives, the patient experiences a decrease in vision quality.  Onset is usually in the teen years or early 20’s and is found in both men and women.  It happens is both eyes but one eye usually starts first and therefore the vision affect is asymmetric.  The second eye can lag the first eye by 5 – 7 years.

As the condition progressed, the cornea becomes increasingly distorted such that a change in glasses or soft lens prescription will no longer correct vision adequately.  The patient will now require a gas permeable contact lens to achieve acceptable vision.  While the progression of the disease is unpredictable and does interfere with sharpness of vision, it rarely causes blindness.  With the latest in contact lens technology, adequate vision and excellent comfort is possible without the need for a corneal transplant.

Because the disease will progress, it is important that the lenses are fitted with great care and evaluated at least annually.  Dr. Armitage uses the latest in contact lens technology including Rose K, Synergeyes Hybrid, and Scleral contact lenses to custom fit the lens to each individual eye since all keratoconus eyes are unique.

Pellucid Marginal Degeneration

PMD is a bilateral corneal disorder hallmarked by inferior corneal thinning, resulting in high degrees of against-the-rule corneal astigmatism. It affects both genders, most often between the ages of 20 and 40, with no apparent hereditary transmission. It is differentiated from keratoconus in that with PMD, central corneas retain normal thickness.

SynergEyes Hybrid Contact Lenses

Remember when you had only 2 choices in contact lenses? Gas permeable lenses were best for crisp, clear, vision, but were often irritating and uncomfortable. Soft lenses were the most comfortable but often provided less than optimal vision especially if you have keratoconus or pellucid marginal degeneration.

SynergEyes Hybrid Contact Lenses offer the best of both worlds!! The “breathable” rigid center provides crisp, clear vision. The outer soft skirt gives you the comfort of a soft lens.

Scleral Lenses

Scleral lenses are a unique type of lens designed to treat a variety of eye conditions which do not respond to any other type of therapy. The new generation of scleral lenses is made from a highly oxygen permeable polymer and are unique in that they fit over the compromised corneal tissue and are supported by the white portion of the eye (sclera).

Since the lens vaults over the compromised cornea and fit under the eyelids, they are extremely comfortable and are almost never dislodged accidentally. The space between the front of the cornea and the back surface of the scleral lens is filled with contact lens solution. The liquid reservoir fills in the surface irregularities of the cornea, allowing vision to be restored in a comfortable manner. This fluid cushion beneath the lens also provides oxygen to the cornea, allowing the eye to heal. This effect creates a smooth optical surface over the diseased cornea that replaces the distorted corneal surface to improve vision.

Many conditions can be treated with scleral lenses when other lenses have failed. They can be used for keratoconus, pellucid marginal degeneration, corneal ectasia resulting from lasik surgery, distorted corneal transplants, and Stevens-Johnson syndrome.

Corneal Refractive Therapy and Nearsighted Control

New research has shown that nearsighted progression that typically occurs in children and adolescents can be slowed down.  The typical standard of care for nearsighted treatment is glasses or soft contact lenses.  However, glasses and soft contact lenses will not prevent the progression of nearsightedness.  New research has shown that nearsighted changes can be slowed down with Corneal Refractive Therapy compared to glasses and soft contact lenses.

Patients can be free of daytime contact lenses and glasses without surgery.  Recent clinical research combined with the latest corneal surface mapping technology, computerized manufacturing, and highly oxygen breathing materials have brought new science to reshaping.

Corneal Refractive Therapy involves wearing therapeutic contact lenses at night to gently re-shape the curvature of your eye.  The result is the correction of your nearsightedness such that when you remove the lenses in the morning you have clear vision without using any lenses during the day.  Any irritation associated with contact lens wear due to outside dust and pollutants is eliminated.