Keratoconus: symptoms and treatment options
The cornea thins and becomes irregular, so vision is distorted in a way glasses do not fully correct. It changes which refractive options are open, and it is usually the reason a laser procedure is ruled out.
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Quick answer
The cornea thins and becomes irregular, so vision is distorted in a way glasses do not fully correct. It changes which refractive options are open, and it is usually the reason a laser procedure is ruled out.
General educational information about a subject, not an assessment of your own eyes. Suitability and treatment decisions are made by a qualified ophthalmologist who has examined you.
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Keratoconus
The cornea thins and becomes irregular, so vision is distorted in a way glasses do not fully correct. It changes which refractive options are open, and it is usually the reason a laser procedure is ruled out.
Also known as keratoconus, corneal ectasia, irregular cornea
Questions about Keratoconus
Each answer below is the short version; the question links to the page that carries it in full, with sources.
- What is keratoconus?
Keratoconus is a condition in which the cornea thins and becomes progressively more cone-shaped, which distorts vision and cannot be fully corrected with ordinary glasses in many cases.
- Can you have LASIK with keratoconus?
Laser vision correction is generally avoided in keratoconus because removing corneal tissue from a cornea that is already thinning and unstable is likely to make matters worse. This is one of the clearest contraindications in refractive surgery.
- How is keratoconus detected before surgery?
Keratoconus is detected with corneal topography and tomography, which map the shape and thickness of the cornea. This is a standard part of a refractive assessment and one of the main reasons those scans are done.
- What is corneal topography?
Corneal topography maps the surface shape of the cornea, producing a colour-coded elevation and curvature map that shows how regular the surface is and where the steep and flat areas lie.
- What is corneal tomography?
Corneal tomography measures the shape of the cornea in three dimensions, including the thickness profile across it, rather than describing the front surface alone.
All 34 Eye conditions questions, searchable
Where this is covered in full
- The eye examination before surgery
What each test measures, and why a refraction on its own is not enough.
- Am I a candidate for SMILE Pro?
The factors an assessment settles, and why no page can decide suitability for a particular eye.
Related subjects
- Astigmatism
The cornea is curved unevenly, so light is focused differently across different axes and the blur is not the same in every direction. It commonly occurs alongside short or long sightedness.
- Dry eye
The tear film is unstable or insufficient, so the surface of the eye is uncomfortable and the vision can fluctuate. It matters before surgery because it is also one of the things refractive surgery can temporarily make worse.
- LASIK vs PRK
A flap against a surface treatment. The clinical difference is tissue and recovery rather than result, which is why PRK is still used where the cornea is thin.
- Dubai
The emirate where most of the UAE refractive surgery capacity is, and the one most international patients travel to. Licensing, clinic choice and what a quote should contain are the local questions.
- Myopia (short sightedness)
The eye focuses light in front of the retina, so near objects are clear and distant ones are blurred. It is the refractive error most commonly treated with laser vision correction.
- The eye examination before surgery
What each test measures, and why a refraction on its own is not enough.
- Am I a candidate for SMILE Pro?
The factors an assessment settles, and why no page can decide suitability for a particular eye.
This page describes what is generally true about keratoconus. It is not a diagnosis, and it cannot say whether a treatment is suitable for you, because suitability depends on measurements taken during an examination.
Sources & further reading
We prefer primary sources. Where a claim comes from a manufacturer, a single study or a regulator, it is labelled as such below.
- Eye Health Information Patient information National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health (US)
Condition-by-condition eye health information from a US government research institute, written for patients rather than for clinicians.
Used for Plain-language explanations of eye conditions and their symptoms; Healthy vision and screening guidance.
Link checked 23 September 2026
- EyeSmart: eye health information for the public Patient information American Academy of Ophthalmology
Patient-facing material from the largest ophthalmology professional body, covering conditions, tests and treatments outside refractive surgery.
Used for Cross-checking patient-facing explanations of non-refractive eye conditions; Describing what tests such as dilation and OCT involve.
Link checked 23 September 2026
- The Royal College of Ophthalmologists Professional body The Royal College of Ophthalmologists (UK)
The UK professional body for ophthalmologists, which publishes standards and commissioning guidance for refractive surgery services.
Used for What good preoperative assessment and consent look like.
Link checked 22 September 2026
Guides that explain this
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