Eye Care Information: What is Conductive Keratoplasty?

Millions of Americans have turned to refractive eye surgery to improve their vision. Those who suffer from presbyopia, or age-related farsightedness, find significant improvement by undergoing conductive keratoplasty, or CK.

Unlike LASIK, which involves cutting a flap in the cornea with a small blade or laser, CK is non-invasive. After administering anesthetic eye drops, the ophthalmologist takes a tiny probe and uses it to apply mild heat to the patient's cornea. The edges of the cornea are full of collagen, a connective tissue that acts like glue. During the CK procedure, the surgeon applies radio waves to the patient's eyes. These waves produce heat which shrinks the collagen, increasing the curvature of the corneas. The end result is an improvement in the patient's farsightedness. CK can also be used to treat certain types of astigmatism, but the procedure is not appropriate for nearsighted patients.

A typical CK procedure costs $1,500 to $2,000 per eye. Originally developed to treat mild cases of farsightedness, CK is now a common surgery for patients over 40 who are experiencing age-related vision problems. The procedure takes about 15 minutes per eye, and is virtually pain-free.

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After undergoing CK, some patients experience light sensitivity and the mild sensation of a foreign object in the eye. These symptoms usually disappear with a day or two. Patients might be rather nearsighted for several days following the procedure, but their eyes will gradually adjust to their new vision. Compared to other forms of eye surgery, CK has few side effects and virtually no downtime.

Are you a good candidate for CK? To find out, tell your eye doctor that you're interested in the procedure. They will use an instrument called a corneal topographer to create an image of your cornea. This will let the doctor know whether or not you would benefit from CK, and how much corneal shrinkage you would need for maximum results.

As people age, they are at a higher risk of developing eye disorders such as presbyopia. With recent advances in eye surgery treatments and laser vision correction technology, an eye surgeon can offer a number of solutions to help correct vision.