The treatment for keratoconus may vary depending on the stage of the disease, but rigid gas-permeable (RGP) contact lenses are often selected as a first choice to help mask the underlying irregular cornea. However, contact lens intolerance occurs in some eyes because of the compromised cornea or complications due to allergic conjunctivitis.
In such cases, patients may consider surgical treatments such as corneal transplant, intrastromal corneal ring segments and the corneal collagen cross-linking for treatment of the corneal irregularities. As for the short-sightedness caused by keratoconus, you may consider phakic intraocular lens implantation, which is the Visian Implantable Contact Lens (Visian ICL™).
Visian ICL™, a posterior chamber phakic intraocular lens that has been reported to be the premium vision correction surgery for moderate to high refractive error, may therefore be an option for patients with stable keratoconus. One such successful case was the Visian ICL™ implanted in Steven Holcomb, a bob sled pilot from team USA. Due to keratoconus, Holcomb’s vision was once as bad as 20/1000. His vision improved to almost 20/20 after surgery, allowing him to see things on tracks that he never knew were there before.