Corneal Disorders
Precise diagnosis and treatment for conditions of the cornea.
Overview
The cornea is the clear dome at the front of the eye, and it provides about two-thirds of your focusing power. To do that it has to stay both perfectly shaped and perfectly clear. When it distorts or clouds, no pair of glasses can fully compensate.
This is a central area of Dr. Yucel Gencoglu’s practice. It includes keratoconus, in which the cornea gradually thins and bulges; inherited conditions that cloud it over time; scarring after injury or infection; and failure of the delicate inner cell layer. Each progresses at a different rate, and each has a stage at which treatment preserves the most sight — which is why timing matters as much as technique.
When to seek assessment
- A prescription that changes quickly, especially the astigmatism
- Ghosted, smeared or doubled images
- Marked glare, haloes and streaking around lights at night
- Repeated episodes of pain on waking
- Persistent redness, light sensitivity or discharge
- Vision that glasses no longer fully correct
Diagnosis
How the assessment is made
Corneal mapping (tomography)
A detailed three-dimensional map of both surfaces of the cornea and its thickness, which can identify keratoconus at a very early stage — before vision or an ordinary eye test changes.
Inner cell layer count
A photograph that counts the cells lining the back of the cornea, showing whether it can safely tolerate surgery inside the eye.
Cross-sectional scan
An image that shows how deep a scar or swelling lies, which determines whether only the diseased layer needs replacing rather than the whole cornea.
Testing for infection
Where infection is suspected, samples are taken so that treatment is aimed at the organism responsible rather than chosen by guesswork.
Treatment
Options and what each one is for
Corneal cross-linking
Vitamin B2 drops combined with a controlled ultraviolet light, which strengthen the fibres of the cornea and stop keratoconus progressing. In a young patient whose scans show change, it is the most important thing that can be done.
Specialist contact lenses
Rigid, hybrid and scleral lenses that create a smooth optical surface over an irregular cornea, often restoring vision that glasses cannot.
Corneal ring segments
Tiny clear implants placed within the cornea to make its shape more regular and easier to correct.
Partial-thickness transplantation
Where a transplant is needed, replacing only the affected layer — sometimes a membrane a few microns thick — rather than the entire cornea, which means faster recovery and a lower risk of rejection.
Treatment of corneal infection
Intensive, targeted drop treatment for bacterial, viral, fungal and parasitic infections, with close review until the surface has healed completely.
Recovery
What to expect afterwards
After cross-linking
Discomfort and light sensitivity for three to five days while the surface heals. Vision is blurred at first and settles over one to three months.
After a partial transplant
Lying face-up for the first day helps the graft settle into place. Vision improves gradually over four to twelve weeks.
Afterwards
Drops and review continue for months, and keratoconus is re-scanned each year to confirm it has stayed stable.
Questions
Frequently asked
If your question is not answered here, it is welcome in consultation — or by message before you book.
Its purpose is to stop the cornea changing, which protects the vision you have. Some flattening and improvement often follows, but stability rather than sharpness is the measure of success.