From correspondents in Maharashta, India, 10:42 AM IST

Keratoconus (cone shaped cornea) is not an uncommon eye condition in India. India extrapolated statistics reveal that over 5 lakh people suffer from this disease. The incidence of keratoconus in families varies in literature from 5% to 20%. Shroff Eye Hospital alone has seen over 50 such patients in the past 2 years. A hint of keratoconus is frequently changing spectacle numbers. Some patients also have a high degree of cylindrical powers.

The cornea is the clear window on the front of the eye. It is normally a regular spherical dome in shape, becoming cone shaped in keratoconus. A new revolutionary treatment called Corneal Collagen Cross Linking (C3R® ) is now available for treating keratoconus permanently at Shroff Eye Hospital, India’s first JCI (USA) accredited eye hospital which has been serving patients with excellence over 88 years. This treatment is a simple, non surgical, non invasive treatment of one hour using the UV-X system halting the progress of this condition and increasing corneal strength by 300%. The treatment is based on 2 steps:

1. Application of riboflavin eye drops (Vitamin B 2) (a photosensitizing agent)

2. Exposure to Ultraviolet A (UVA, 365nm) light

So far there was no permanent treatment to stop or treat the progression of keratoconus. Methods using rigid contact lens or other modalities, correct only the refractive error (spectacle numbers), but have nominal effect on the progression of keratoconus.

Dr. Anand Shroff, Chief Corneal and Refractive Eye Surgeon, Shroff Eye Hospital, Mumbai says,”With the launch of the C3R® treatment, people in India will have access to technology and treatments available at select centers in the world. C3R® is very safe and a permanent solution to Keratoconus. Further it is a simple, single sitting treatment requiring no major precautions, Most of the patients we have diagnosed had no indication that they were suffering from keratoconus. They visited the hospital to correct their spectacle numbers permanently with our advanced laser treatment (LASIK) as they were fed up of frequently changing their spectacles or were having difficulty with contact lenses. Such patients should never get treated with LASIK. Hence, the diagnosis of this condition before considering LASIK is a must and forms one of its major eligibility criteria”.

The majority of patients develop the disease after adolescence, between 12 and 20 years of age. The diagnosis in early disease can be tricky therefore important. However a more definitive diagnosis can be obtained using corneal topography. At Shroff Eye hospital, a simple test with the Wavelight Topolyser, very sensitive diagnostic equipment, amongst other checks can detect this condition accurately.

Source: Press Release Distribution via India PRwire