Keratoconus Utah & Salt Lake City

Recognizing the early signs of keratoconus can be challenging because initial symptoms often mimic common vision problems that seem easily correctable with a new glasses prescription. However, certain patterns of vision changes, particularly in teenagers and young adults, should raise suspicion for keratoconus rather than ordinary refractive error. 

Corneal cross-linking takes approximately one hour per eye and begins with application of numbing drops to ensure your comfort. Your doctor will then apply riboflavin drops to your cornea. In traditional epi-off cross-linking, the outer corneal layer is removed before riboflavin application, but modern epi-on techniques preserve this protective layer while still allowing riboflavin to penetrate the cornea. 

The riboflavin saturation phase takes about 30 minutes, during which drops are applied repeatedly to thoroughly saturate the corneal tissue.

Once adequate riboflavin saturation is achieved, you'll be positioned under a specialized ultraviolet light. The UV light activates the riboflavin, triggering chemical reactions that create new bonds between collagen fibers in your cornea. This strengthening process is what stops keratoconus progression.