UK Keratoconus Self-Help and Support Association

Chris, Dr. Artsybashev would certainly be willing to have a discussion with other ophthalmologists. You are correct that this procedure has been able to help patients without any other options. In fact, there is a small percentage of patients who are not even candidates for corneal transplants due t...

Hi Chris, When my father-in-law, Dr. Artsybashev, began working at the Fyodorov Microsurgery Complex in 1984 only about 20 surgeons out of hundreds at the clinic were authorized to perform diamond knife procedures. He spent almost a year as an assistant and practicing on porcine corneas in the labor...

Hi Liam, No problem. Here is a great introduction to eye optics: http://www.ophthobook.com/videos/eye-optics-lecture : An explanation of cornea's refractive power starts at minute 5. The images I posted were all taken by the Tomey TMS IV Topography Mapping System. The colored maps show the diopter v...

It is not uncommon for a physicians to be skeptical when they hear of the research underway at the clinic. As explained above, traditional radial keratotomy is absolutely contraindicated for keratoconus patients. Even upon seeing proof of the reduction of the cone after modified radial keratotomy so...

Any form of keratotomy is really dependent on the skill of the surgeon. In my opinion, there are only a few specialists in the world qualified enough to be performing these procedures, especially for keratoconus patients. It is almost impossible to decrease 12 diopters of astigmatism in one surgery....

Many patients experience some discomfort, tearing, or inflammation due to RGP lenses. They also increase the rare risk of infection. The corneal epithelium, just like your skin, serves as a barrier to prevent infections. The epithelium is removed during epi-off CXL procedures. Primarily to lower the...

You might have some problems if you're looking to charter a fighter jet, but don't worry about renting a car . Most countries require you to be correctable to at least 20/40 in just one eye for a license.

Hi Liam, There are a few clinics in the world that currently offer diamond knife surgeries for keratconus patients. In general, radial keratotomy is absolutely contraindicated for keratoconus patients and I would never recommend traditional radial keratotomy for anyone. I can't speak for the other c...

I'm not sure about current prices, but patients paid about $1000 per eye in Budapest during my university's CXL study a couple years ago. Crosslinking is a routine surgery now at many clinics. The most important step is that the surgeon knows how to properly remove the epithelium. The rest of the pr...

Hi Rose, Crosslinking has the added benefit for many patients of improving vision a couple lines. That is because the shape of the cornea changes during the healing process. However, I wouldn't advise crosslinking an eye with close to 100% vision because at that point any surgical intervention risks...