KERATOCONUS IS A NONINFLAMMATORY CONELIKE ectasia of the cornea, which is usually bilateral and progresses over time. Its reported frequency is approximately 1 in 2,000 in the general population. Usually, the condition starts at puberty, progressing in approximately
20% to such an extent that penetrating keratoplasty becomes necessary.
Besides penetrating keratoplasty, hard contact lenses are the major treatment modality for keratoconus. In rare cases, epikeratoplasty, photorefractive keratectomy, or intracorneal rings can be considered. However, all of these techniques only correct the refractive errors of keratoconus but do not treat the cause underlying the corneal ectasia and therefore cannot stop the progression of keratoconus.
