⚠️ TL;DR: Do not rub your eyes. 👀
Since I was little, I had this bad habit of rubbing my eyes. And I never thought anything of it.
For the past several years, I knew my vision in one eye was worse than the other but glasses always made it better, so it was not a big deal. Each year, my optometrist would ask me if I ever had any eye trauma as a child. (None that I was aware of!)
At my last optometrist appointment, we found out the reason my right eye was worse: keratoconus.
[Insert existential crisis and subsequent meltdown, and me immediately trying to figure out how to spell and pronounce keratoconus and consulting with "Dr. Google" on how my life is over.]
Keratoconus is a progressive eye disease that causes the cornea, the clear front window to the eye, to bulge into a cone shape. This distortion can lead to blurred and distorted vision.
Symptoms of keratoconus include:
- blurred vision, especially at night or in bright light
- distorted vision, such as seeing halos or rings around lights
- double vision in one eye
- sensitivity to light
- frequent changes in eyeglasses or contact lenses prescriptions
- eye pain or discomfort
There is no cure for keratoconus, but treatment can help manage the symptoms and help prevent further progression.
Keratoconus can be caused by either a family history of keratoconus, certain connective tissue disorders, Down syndrome, or eye rubbing. It affects 1 in 2,000 people.
I scheduled an appointment at Mass Eye & Ear, where I got special scans done of my "special needs" eye. I was set up with Dr. Joseph Ciolino, who specializes in this kind of thing. He's on the faculty at Harvard Medical School, collaborates with Boston Children's Hospital and MIT, trains residents and fellows, and apparently has a patent for a contact lens drug delivery device.
Dr. Ciolino monitored me for a few months, and then recommended I get cross-linking done to prevent my keratoconus from getting worse. Cross-linking is a medical procedure which uses ultraviolet light to strengthen collagen fibers in the cornea to reduce bulging. The procedure itself wasn't fun, but recovery was quicker than I expected. I took some selfies during the procedure, but nobody on LinkedIn needs to see those much less-than-flattering pictures.
So my vision is fine now, though I'll never be a candidate for LASIK.
Looking ahead, there are also special contact lenses that can be worn to help. As someone who has post-traumatic stress disorder from the "eye puffer" machine when I was little, I don't know if I am strong enough to wear contacts. There may be other procedures that make my vision better as well.
On the bright side, now I can say I have something else in common with future hall-of-famer Stephen Curry. He has publicly stated he has it and wears contact lenses to correct his vision. 🏀
If you're someone who rubs your eyes frequently, consider getting them checked. And STOP RUBBING YOUR EYES.
#Keratoconus #DontRubYourEyes #WorldKCDay
