Exploring Keratoconus Contact Lens Options - RGP, Hybrid, Scleral, PROSE, EyePrintPro

Keratoconus Contact Lenses & Treatments

Keratoconus Specialists of Maryland, located in Timonium right off of Interstate 83, has over 40 years of experience with keratoconus contact lenses,  exams and treatments.  Our goal is to provide each keratoconus patient with the highest level of eye care. With personal care and state-of-the-art technology, our doctors achieve the very best results providing clear and comfortable vision with keratoconus contact lenses and other keratoconus treatments.

Our keratoconus doctors serving the Greater Baltimore area provide each patient with custom keratoconus contact lens designs. We specialize in  personal eye care, which allows us the time to work with each patient for the very best outcomes. Our renowned eye doctors have been trained in the latest keratoconus contact lenses technologies and have the experience for successful keratoconus treatments. Patients throughout the states of Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Virginia travel to Keratoconus Specialists of Maryland for the best treatment options.

Common Causes of Keratoconus

• Family history: Doctors do not know exactly what causes keratoconus, but it is believed to be genetic from birth. If a family member hasKC then there is a greater chance of it being diagnosed. For early detection and prevention, we offer free Keratoconus Screenings for children and family members.
• Age: Often diagnosed in the teenage years, but can always show up earlier or later in life.
• Certain disorders:  Research has shown links between Keratoconus and systemic conditions such as Down syndrome, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, osteogenesis imperfecta, and retinitis pigmentosa.

• Inflammation: Allergies, asthma, or atopic eye diseases can cause inflammation causing a breakdown of the cornea tissue
• Eye rubbing: Constant rubbing of the eye, often caused by dry eye, can lead to damaging the corneal tissue and increases the progression of keratoconus.
• Race:  Studies show that African Americans and Latinos are roughly 50% more likely to get keratoconus compared to caucasian.

Symptoms of Keratoconus

Keratoconus changes the shape of the cornea, to a cone-like shape, causing light entering the eye to bend in different directions. The natural smooth surface of the cornea becomes distorted causing an irregular cornea and astigmatism.

• Blurry Vision
• Ghosting of images
• Halos at night
• Starbursting of light
• Double vision

Keratoconus Contact Lenses

Keratoconus is a complex eye disease, which will often cause distorted vision, requires a complex process to treat the condition and provide patients with great vision. While surgical procedures like Corneal Crosslinking (CXL), Intacts, corneal transplantation, are sometimes needed, most often keratoconus contact lenses are required to correct and provide great vision. Our philosophy is to provide the highest level of patient care with all the keratoconus treatment options.

Types of Keratoconus Contact Lenses:

• Custom Soft Contact Lenses are designed to correct mild-to-moderate keratoconus.
• Rigid Gas Permeable (RGP), also known as a hard lens, was originally the go-to keratoconus contact lenses. The rigid lens masks the underlying cornea and functions as a refractive surface.
• Piggyback Contact Lenses involves a soft contact lens together with RGP gas permeable lens which increases comfort of the hard contact lens.
• Hybrid Contact Lenses were designed specifically for keratoconus. They are a combination of a soft lens with the center of and RGP keratoconus lens –giving the comfort of a soft lens, with the optics\vision of the RGP design.
• Scleral Lenses are a large diameter lens that vaults the cornea and rests on the sclera. With new keratoconus contact lens materials these lenses are very comfortable and can provide superior optics to both RGP and hybrid keratoconus lenses.
• PVR PROSE, commonly referred to as a PROSE lens, is a prosthetic device similar to scleral lenses, which uses fluid to replace and smooth-out the ocular surface. These keratoconus contact lenses are designed and customized utilizing Optical Coherence Tomography OCT and Wavefront Higher Order Aberrations (HOA) technology to correct glare, halos, starburst, ghosting, and other vision distortions.
• EyePrintPro, is also a prosthetic scleral device, which designed to match the exact shape of the cornea using a molding process.

Keratoconus Specialists

Keratoconus Specialists of Maryland was started specifically for the Keratoconus contact lens patient, to provide the highest level of patient care and best vision possible. With our expertise and experience we have successfully helped thousands of patients with keratoconus – many who were previously told they could not wear contact lenses. Doctors agree that it is best to exhaust all Keratoconus contact lens options before undergoing a corneal transplant or other surgical procedures (except when medically necessary).

Keratoconus Video Testimonials

When it comes to personalized care, no doctor can match the attention given by our doctors. Our team is world-renowned for their expertise, unwavering commitment to superb patient care, passion, and education in providing personalized eye care for patients with keratoconus. We have earned a reputation by their peers as being the “Doctor’s doctor”. See what our patients with Keratoconus have to say.