The main reason Keratoconus contacts hurt, itch, and are uncomfortable is basically because they don’t fit right. But to understand why, first, you have to understand how Keratoconus affects your eyes. Keratoconus causes the cornea to slowly change from a dome to a cone shape. This change in shape means that the cornea starts to stick or protrude out rather than remain smooth. And on top of that, the cornea can be shaped differently in any direction.
Keratoconus Lenses
A regular contact lens is perfectly symmetrical with a shallow curve. It’s designed for the eyelid to easily glide over the lens so that you don’t even notice they are there while wearing them. Imagine putting that smooth, hard contact lens on an oddly shaped Keratoconus cornea. Can you imagine how badly it would fit?
Why Keratoconus Contacts Hurt, Itch, and Are Uncomfortable
That bad fit causes the edge of one side of the contact to rise up a bit more and interfere with the eyelid. Your eye gets itchy and irritated as a result, which causes you to scratch or rub it. Eye-rubbing only makes the Keratoconus worse. Then, your eyes begin to tear, making you want to wipe or rub your eyes even more.
Even if you had a good-fitting contact lens for your Keratoconus at the start, it is very possible that the lenses don’t fit very well anymore. That’s because Keratoconus is a progressive disease, and your eyes will continue to change unless you have a treatment that stops the progression. Often, this is the main reason Keratoconus contacts hurt, itch, and are uncomfortable.
Corneal Cross-Linking
If your Keratoconus contacts hurt, itch, and are uncomfortable, you should look into corneal cross-linking. This procedure can help repair your corneas and is nearly 100% effective at preventing your Keratoconus from getting worse. It also helps improve vision in some patients by flattening out the central part of the corneas.
How Crosslinking Works
Your doctor puts a solution in your eyes and then applies a special light therapy. The light therapy helps the collagen fibers in your corneas link together, strengthening your cornea. It is a quick, minimally invasive outpatient procedure done in the doctor’s office that is virtually painless. Corneal Cross-Linking is very effective, and the best part is you go home the same day. If you haven’t looked into corneal cross-linking yet, call the California Keratoconus Center to see if it could work for you.
Custom Made Contacts
If your lenses used to fit well, but now your Keratoconus contacts hurt, itch, and are uncomfortable, it is likely due to a change in your corneal shape. For Keratoconus contacts to fit well, they must be custom-made for each cornea. That means a different lens for each of your eyes. Most importantly, your lenses need to be made as precisely as possible. Most Optometrists today use machines that don’t provide enough information about your eye shape to the contact lens manufacturer, so they are forced to make educated guesses about some of your corneas’ actual shape.
Custom Fit Keratoconus Lenses
The California Keratoconus Center is one of the few practices in the country with an Eaglet Eye profiler, a machine that allows them to design a custom contact lens that will precisely fit the contours of your eye. The Eaglet Eye profiler measures 300,000 points on the eye, including 100% of your cornea and most of the surrounding sclera (the whites of your eyes). This data is sent directly to the contact lens manufacturer to create a perfectly fitting Scleral contact lens.
Scleral Contact Solutions
It’s difficult to explain the difference, so we’ll let one of our recent Keratoconus patients explain it to you. Nick had his new Scleral Contact Lenses designed by the California Keratoconus Center using the Eaglet Eye Profiler. See why Nick says, after finally being able to see clearly with Keratoconus, “This is going to change my life for sure!” Watch the quick video here.
Keratoconus Treatment Specialist
If your Keratoconus contacts hurt, itch, and are uncomfortable, calling the California Keratoconus Center is the next step for relief. Keratoconus can require specialized care with state-of-the-art equipment. That’s why patients with Keratoconus all over the USA call our practice. Dr. Leonard is a Keratoconus doctor who not only treats Keratoconus but is actually a Keratoconus patient himself, so he knows exactly what you are going through. Call our office now at 818-891-6711. You can also make an appointment online.
