ClearKone^® Lenses for Keratoconus

Remember when you had only two choices in contact lenses? “Hard” (GP) lenses provided good vision, but were often irritating and uncomfortable. Soft lenses offered good comfort, but couldn’t correct your vision problems. ClearKone was a technological breakthrough that made having to compromise a thing of the past. ClearKone hybrid contact lenses offer all the benefits of gas permeable (GP) and soft contact lenses without any of the disadvantages for an overall GREAT contact lens experience.

Keratoconus is a progressive, debilitating bilateral eye disease in which degenerative thinning of the cornea results in complex irregular bulging of the normally round, spherical cornea (the clear covering in front of the eye). Keratoconus results in grossly distorted vision similar to looking through a windshield while driving in a rainstorm without using windshield wipers.

Keratoconus is characterized by thinning and protrusion of the central cornea, resulting in a ghosting and glare, photophobia, halos around lights, decreased vision, and monocular diplopia (double vision). Those with keratoconus suffer from decreased vision which cannot be corrected with spectacles or conventional contact lenses. However, most keratoconus patients can achieve functional vision with designed therapeutic contact lenses.

Keratoconus is one of the few conditions where contact lenses are a medical necessity (other conditions include unilateral aphakia, post corneal transplant, and a very high myopia).

It is well documented that rigid gas permeable (RGP) contact lenses or a combination of a rigid gas permeable lens riding on a soft lens configuration are the treatment of choice for keratoconus.

These uniquely designed keratoconic lenses improve vision by providing a clear optical lens that masks the distorted areas of the cornea creating a smooth, regular optical surface over the patient’s very irregular, cone-shaped cornea. By masking the distorted vision caused by keratoconus, these lenses can provide the required visual acuity necessary to perform daily routines. Without these corrective lenses these patients are visually handicapped. They would not be able to perform even the simplest tasks of daily life: read, drive a car, attend school or even recognize a face across the room.

Eyeglasses cannot achieve these results. The lenses in a pair of glasses are too far away from the optical surface of the cornea to create the smooth refractive surface necessary to translate the image clearly to the back of the eye and therefore to the brain. These therapeutic contact lenses are not cosmetic. They are designed devices that treat a medical problem. Just as a leg brace helps a lame patient to walk, these therapeutic contact lenses provide treatment to allow those with keratoconus to have clear vision.

Lens Design

ClearKone is a FDA-cleared hybrid contact lens specifically designed for the treatment of keratoconus and other corneal irregularities. This hybrid contact lens combines the best of both worlds – the crisp vision of a GP contact lens with the all-day comfort and convenience of a soft lens.

Why ClearKone?

ClearKone is specifically designed to help restore vision to patients with the many types and stages of keratoconus. The ClearKone GP lens vaults over the cornea, and the soft skirt offers all-day comfort.

Crisp Vision

The ClearKone lens has a rigid center that creates a smooth uniform surface allowing light to focus properly. The added benefit is that the GP lens is centered over the visual axis regardless of where the cone is located on the cornea or how large it is, thereby decreasing visual distortions and providing superior vision.

Comfortable

The soft skirt of the ClearKone design is made from materials similar to soft lenses making the lens comfortable. The soft skirt design of ClearKone also prevents dirt from getting under the lens and will not pop out unexpectedly.

Make an appointment today and see if ClearKone is right for you!