Frequent eye Rubbing may Lead to Keratoconus
Many people have the habit of rubbing their eyes, especially when they just wake up. It is easy to rub their eyes unconsciously. But you may not know that if the cornea is rubbed frequently, it may become deformed at any time, thereby inducing keratoconus, which has the risk of blindness. Keratoconus may take decades to develop and worsen. Its symptoms are similar to other eye diseases and are easily ignored. Doctors remind that if myopia or astigmatism continues to deepen in a short period of time, it may be a sign of illness, among which patients withEye sensitivityPeople with allergies such as asthma and eczema are at high risk.
Ophthalmologist Dr. Chen Songen said that the characteristic of keratoconus is that the center of the cornea bulges outwards, presenting a cone shape. Patients will experience myopia, astigmatism,blurred visionSymptoms include glare, acute corneal edema, and even blindness in severe cases. Asians are four times more likely to develop this condition than Caucasians. Frequent eye rubbing, those with eye allergies, asthma, eczema, and a family history of the condition are all more likely to develop keratoconus. The progression of this disease can take 10 to 20 years.
The Hong Kong College of Ophthalmology and the Hong Kong Ophthalmological Society conducted a survey on 8 citizens about their understanding of keratoconus between August and November this year. The results showed that more than 11% of the respondents had frequentThe habit of rubbing your eyes, with 26% rubbing their eyes three or more times per hour. However, over half of the respondents were unaware that eye rubbing can lead to keratoconus. 600-year-old Ms. Mai has suffered from eczema and eye sensitivity since childhood. She has 75 degrees of myopia and XNUMX degrees of astigmatism. She often rubs her eyes after swimming, even rubbing them vigorously to get her contact lenses out.
Earlier this year, Ms. Mai began experiencing blurred vision, with her astigmatism increasing to 175 degrees. She attributed this to excessive screen time and planned to undergo laser refractive surgery. However, a preoperative examination revealed she had keratoconus, requiring corneal collagen cross-linking surgery to correct the condition. Chen Songen noted that early-stage cases can generally be corrected with glasses or soft contact lenses, but advanced cases may require a corneal transplant. Furthermore, corneal collagen cross-linking can be used to halt the progression of the condition and prevent further corneal deformation.
Although keratoconus is difficult to detect, ophthalmologist Dr. Wu Liqi advises that you should pay attention to whether your astigmatism worsens over a short period of time, such as whether distant objects become particularly blurry, or whether you experience headaches, dizziness, double vision, etc. However, it is important to note that in addition to keratoconus, worsening astigmatism over a short period of time may also be caused by corneal aging or cataracts. Therefore, if this occurs, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible.
