Corneal Cross-Linking
The surgical treatment of keratoconus is executed with Corneal Collagen Cross-linking (CXL).
The Medical Procedure
A new non-invasive therapy with vitamin B2 eyedrops and UV light strengthens collagen and stabilizes the cornea, and therefore stops the progress of keratoconus. The ultra B2 intervention lasts about half an hour and is executed in local anesthetics with eye drops. After the doctor mechanically separates the surface layer of the cells, he will put vitamin B2 in the next few minutes. Then he exposes the cornea to the UV rays for the next half an hour, constantly adding vitamin B2 and anesthetics.
Postoperative Treatment
The postoperative treatment with eye drops is necessary and it last several months, with regular medical checks. The patient can continue to wear contact lenses usually after a month or two after the procedure.
Cross-linking can be used for other corrective methods, such as the Ferrara rings implantation, or less often with limited laser intervention PRK.
It is vital to understand that Corneal Cross-linking cannot restore what is lost, i.e. it can neither correct nor re-thicken the cornea changed by keratoconus. The method is used only to stop the further deterioration of the cornea. For this reason, early diagnosis and early treatment are of vital importance in case keratoconus progresses, not to let it significantly deform, which drastically and permanently worsens the vision acuity.