Corneal Collagen Cross-Linking with Riboflavin and UV-A light (UVX)
In mild cases or in the early stages of keratoconus, eyeglasses can be worn to correct the astigmatism. So far, there has not been a treatment for slowing down the progression of keratoconus in the world. All treatments such as eyeglasses, contact lenses, intrastromal corneal ring segment have helped to correct only a part of the patient’s vision. Fortunately, in recent years, cross-linking surgery is the only method to stop the progression of keratoconus.
In this surgery, creating more transverse ligaments in the corneal collagen tissue using riboflavin causes more corneal strength. The transverse ligaments in the cornea are like hooks and are responsible for preventing corneal bulge and irregularity.
It takes about an hour and can be carried out in an ophthalmology operating room. During the surgery, after removing corneal epithelium ( the thin outermost layer of the cornea), a light sensitive eye drop, Riboflavin, is dropped into the cornea, which then is activated by UV light. It has been shown that this simple operation increases the transverse ligaments in the cornea collagen tissue, which ultimately increases the strength of the cornea.
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