Introduction: Clarity Starts with a Healthy Cornea
The cornea is the clear, dome-shaped front surface of the eye that helps focus light so you can see clearly. When the cornea becomes damaged, scarred, or misshapen, vision can become blurred or distorted. At Ace Medical Care, our team evaluates and treats a range of corneal conditions, from early-stage disease to advanced surgical care.
What Are Corneal Services?
Corneal services encompass the diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment of conditions affecting the cornea's shape, clarity, and health. This includes everything from medical management of corneal disease to surgical procedures such as corneal transplantation.
Common Conditions We Address
- Keratoconus: A progressive condition in which the cornea thins and bulges into an irregular, cone-like shape.
- Corneal Scarring or Disease: Damage to the cornea from infection, injury, or underlying conditions that affects vision.
- Pterygium: A growth of tissue on the surface of the eye that can extend onto the cornea.
- Corneal Endothelial Disease: Conditions affecting the innermost layer of the cornea responsible for keeping it clear.
Corneal Cross-Linking for Keratoconus
Keratoconus typically develops in adolescence or early adulthood and can progress over time, causing increasingly distorted vision. Corneal cross-linking is a procedure designed to strengthen the corneal tissue and slow or halt this progression. It involves applying a specialized vitamin B2 (riboflavin) solution to the cornea, which is then activated with ultraviolet light to create new bonds between collagen fibers in the corneal tissue. Cross-linking does not reverse existing corneal changes but is intended to stabilize the cornea and prevent further irregularity.
Corneal Transplant Surgery
When the cornea is too damaged, scarred, or diseased to restore vision through other means, a corneal transplant may be recommended. Ace Medical Care's surgical team offers several types of corneal transplant procedures, tailored to which layers of the cornea are affected:
- Penetrating Keratoplasty (PK): A full-thickness corneal transplant, replacing all layers of the diseased cornea with healthy donor tissue.
- DSAEK (Descemet's Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty): A partial-thickness transplant that replaces only the innermost, diseased layers of the cornea, commonly used for endothelial disease.
- DMEK (Descemet Membrane Endothelial Keratoplasty): A more targeted, thinner-tissue version of endothelial transplant, replacing just the thin innermost membrane and cell layer.
Your surgeon will determine which approach is most appropriate based on the specific layers of your cornea affected and your overall eye health.
Pterygium Removal
A pterygium is a fleshy growth of tissue that develops on the white part of the eye and can extend across the cornea, sometimes affecting vision or causing persistent irritation, redness, or a foreign-body sensation. When a pterygium grows large enough to threaten vision or causes ongoing discomfort, surgical removal may be recommended. The procedure removes the abnormal tissue and, in many cases, involves a graft to help reduce the likelihood of the pterygium returning.
What to Expect at Your Corneal Evaluation
A corneal evaluation typically includes a detailed examination of the front surface of the eye, often supported by corneal imaging to map its shape and thickness. This helps our specialists track subtle changes over time, confirm a diagnosis, and determine whether treatment such as cross-linking, surgery, or ongoing monitoring is the right next step.
Who Should Consider a Corneal Evaluation?
- Patients with a diagnosis of keratoconus or a family history of the condition
- Anyone experiencing progressively blurred, distorted, or worsening vision despite updated glasses or contacts
- Patients with a visible growth on the surface of the eye
- Individuals referred for evaluation of corneal scarring, clouding, or endothelial disease
Ready to Book Your Appointment?
If you have concerns about your cornea or have been told you may need specialized corneal care, our team at Ace Medical Care is here to help. Contact us to schedule an evaluation.