What is corneal cross-linking?

Corneal cross-linking is a mild medical procedure that aims to strengthen the cornea. This procedure comes to treat a thin and weak cornea, such as the cornea of patients with keratoconus or other diseases, in order to strengthen the collagen fibers that build the cornea and thereby prevent the continuation of the cornea's thinning and weakening.

Who should have a corneal cross-section?

It is recommended to perform corneal cross-linking for patients who suffer from a thin cornea and with the potential for worsening and sharpening in the future. Corneal cross-linking is intended for patients with diseases such as keratoconus, autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases and even for corneas that undergo a process of thinning after refractive surgery.

In keratoconus, due to the thinning of the cornea, the cornea loses its natural shape and begins to protrude forward until it takes the shape of a cone. Over time, the cornea begins to become thinner and creates irregular astigmatism (cylinder) and high myopia (myopia) and continuous changes in the prescription of glasses. If left untreated, vision loss and blindness can develop.

It is important to emphasize that this procedure comes to strengthen the cornea and stabilize it and prevent continuous thinning. This procedure is not intended to improve vision. The goal of treatment is to prevent worsening of keratoconus or ectasia. For some people, corneal crosslinking prevents the need for more serious surgery, such as a corneal transplant.

How is corneal crosslinking treatment performed by Dr. Nasser?

 Corneal cross-linking is a treatment and not an operation. This means that the treatment is carried out in an outpatient setting and he/she returns home on the same day of the procedure. During the treatment you will be in a supine position, you will receive anesthetic drops in your eyes and thus you will not feel pain. Eye drops of vitamin B (Riboflavin) are instilled on the cornea for a few minutes and then a special device shines a focused beam of UV rays on the cornea for several minutes. Irradiation of UV rays on the cornea after instillation of riboflavin drops causes the strengthening of the corneal fibers and helps create new connections between the collagen fibers in your cornea. At the end of the procedure, a therapeutic contact lens is placed on the eye, to help in the healing process of the cornea. Usually, the whole procedure takes about 15 minutes per eye. The contact lens stays in place for about a week. You will be given antibiotic and steroid drops to help your eye heal"