UK Keratoconus Self-Help and Support Association

How much does Collagen Cross Linking cost?

I would have thought that some people have had some quotes from some of the places offering it. So I was just wounding what a rough figure is. I've read about Cross Linking, but no ones said anything about the cost.

£500? £1000? £5000? £10,000? I've really no idea.

Hi, I have had my first appointment today; they charged £80 for the scan and £180 for the consultation. it will cost between £2500 - £3000 for the cross linking treatment.

Regards

UX2

A consultant I refer to in Scotland charges £1300 per eye.I understand that includes both pre and post treatment consultations though I may be mistaken.

The financial cost is one element; another would be the cost in terms of unintended consequences of the procedure; but then that 'cost' is still hard to foresee and quantify.

All the best

Andrew

What costs in terms of the treatment (damage) could this cause, from what I have read online it sounds like a simple proceedure and can stop the progression of the condition as well as improvement in the affected eyes - no surgery or incisions involved, so could not image it being a 'high risk' treatment?

ux2, where was it you had your consultation and appointment?

I am in 2 minds what to do with mine, I dont know if this treatment would help or whether trying to get on with contacts would be fine...
Problem for me is contacts i would find extremely difficult to wear or put in and take out, especially hard ones!

Hallo KAB,
The idea of CXL is to slow the progression of KC. SOme people find a slight improvement in vision, but it does not "cure" poor vision. If you'dhave to wear contact lenses now, you'd most probably still need them after the CXL - though, with luck, wouldn't be needing new ones as often as some people have needed them inthe past.
Possible risks:
1. it is a new procedure - only been in existence about 12 years, so no-one really knows if the effects will be permanent, or it it will turn out that there's a limited "life" of the CXL result and then the KC will suddenly accelerate again. This hasn't been seen so far, but there's not much data over 10 years old.
2. part of the procedure is to scratch the surface off the cornea. This in a KC cornea which is already thin and weak.
3. the procedure uses UV light. That's UV light as in, when it comes through the hole in the ozone layer, people under the hole get skin cancers. The theory is that the riboflavin eye drops used soak up the UV light so it doesn't do damage, eg to the retina. However,t here's no long-term data yet.
4. It takes up to 6 months to stabilise the eye after the CXL, and some people find they get a lot of pain shortly after the CXL, light sensitivity or sometimes infections. This is quite a lot of disruption to one's life, work, study, etc - and some bosses can get fed up with it all too!
5. possibility of adverse reaction to some of the drugs used - hopefully a small chance, but non-zero.
Hope this makes sense.
rosemary