We are proud to announce the arrival of the corneal collagen cross linking treatment to the Yonge Eglinton laser eye centre. After waiting patiently, the treatment device has finally been approved by Health Canada. We are pleased to be among the first in Canada with the approved ultraviolet delivery light source for this treatment. We are excited to have done several of these treatments over the past few weeks with excellent success so far.
We didn’t have any treatment before to help prevent progression of keratoconus. Now, at least we can offer an alternative to just waiting for the disorder to get worse.
Who it is good for? Kerataconus tends to progress in the 20’s and 30’s of life. If we can stop it in its tracks, we may be able to prevent a large number of young people who go on to require a corneal transplant. Therefore young people, late teens and twenties, with keratoconus may want to elect to have the cross-linking to keep there vision stable and keep them seeing well with glasses.
The treatment is quite simple, and takes about an hour. We use Riboflavin (vitamin B2). Why? it is not the vitamin that strengthens the cornea, but rather it is its yellow color in solution that does the work. It absorbs the UV light that is applied to the cornea which generates free radicals. What are they? They are part of molecules that have a high charge and stimulate some chemical reactions. Since the cornea is made up of collagen, a protein, not unlike the protein that makes up your hair, it can react with the free radicals to forms bond, or cross-links. Yes, just like your hair, when you get a perm at the hair dressers. Their chemicals help form bonds between the collagen in your hair to make it curly. In the cornea, the cross-linking bonds the fibers in the cornea, resulting in a much stronger mesh that resists the tendency to bulge outward that happens in Kertatoconus. Therefore, the kerataconus is slowed down, or even halted in progression. It is like reinforcing concrete or vulcanizing latex to make it hard enough for use in commercial purposes.
It is painful? The treatment does not hurt, and takes about 1 hour to perform. Afterwards, the eyes are watery and sore for 24 to 48 hours during the initial healing phase. Vision will be blurred for a week or so afterwards while the eye heals. Not a lot of fun, but worth it in the long run if a corneal transplant is prevented.
It is exciting to finally have another option for the treatment of this important disorder.