Achieve reliable vision through crosslinking against keratoconus

Keratoconus is a congenital eye disease in which the cornea becomes thinner and thinner and is deformed into a cone shape.

This corneal curvature increases steadily and the patient notices an increasing deterioration in vision. Corneal transplantation is the final stage of this progressive disease.

In most cases, however, such a transplant can be avoided by crosslinking!

Dr. Victor Derhartunian is a pioneer of the cross-linking method and can use it in combination with laser treatment to improve vision.

Progressive corneal weakness manifests itself in increasing corneal curvature and a constantly changing corneal topography. If the vision is impaired by this process, a strengthening of the cornea by crosslinking can be mentioned. This treatment also flattens the cornea in the long term.

We can determine your suitability for cross-linking treatment by examining your eyes during the initial examination.

The so-called crosslinking of the cornea refers to a cross-linking of the fibres to mechanically stabilize the corneal tissue. Although the disease cannot be reversed in this way, it can at least be halted in its existing state. In many cases, a slow regression of the irregular corneal shape is also observed.

In crosslinking, the cornea is treated with a combination of riboflavin drops (vitamin B2) and UV radiation. This method is also used successfully in other medical fields for other types of tissue, e.g. as a seal at the dentist.

Crosslinking can stop corneal weakness, thereby stabilizing the tissue.

Unfortunately, an improvement in vision is not achieved in most cases.

In order to achieve an increase in vision, this procedure can be combined with other surgical techniques or hard lenses can be fitted.

UV riboflavin crosslinking is now a widely used, safe and effective treatment to halt the progression of keratoconus. Apart from the general surgical risks, there are no known side effects or complications with this method

Today, corneal weakness can only be stopped by UV riboflavin crosslinking. To achieve an improvement in vision, this can be combined with the following techniques:

• Topography-guided PRK/TRANS-PRK
• Implantation of corneal ring segments
• Use of phakic lenses (ICL)

Crosslinking has been an approved procedure since 2006. Its safety and effectiveness have been confirmed in numerous scientific publications. The continuous development of this procedure is constantly leading to improved clinical results.

We first disinfect your facial area. You will be given a local anesthetic in the form of eye drops. Your eyelids are fixed. All of this is absolutely painless and painless.

First, the uppermost protective layer of the cornea, the epithelium, is removed so that the eye drops can reach the next layer of the cornea, the stroma. The riboflavin eye drops are placed in the eye for 30 minutes.

The cornea is then irradiated with UV light for 10 minutes.

In the final step, soft bandage contact lenses are inserted to protect the eye after the operation. Drug treatment prevents inflammation and reduces post-operative pain. The protective lenses are removed after a few days. That’s it!