9 Reasons to Not Delay Corneal Repair - Cornea Revolution

9 Reasons to Not Delay Corneal Repair

Wouldn’t you agree, it’s easy to take our eyes for granted? Often, it’s not until we begin to lose our vision that we even notice them. And even worse, if you’ve experienced complications from LASIK surgery, PRK surgery, RK surgery, other eye surgery, eye injury, or suffer from Keratoconus or any other corneal ectasia, you now see the importance of a small, nearly invisible part of our eye: the cornea.

As you may know, the cornea acts like a window to the eye, taking in light from the outside. Therefore, any disease or damage to it becomes immediately noticeable and frustrating. And even if the blurred, cloudy, or distorted vision you experience now is only an inconvenience, it’s likely to get worse over time. 

Corneal repair is a unique approach to vision correction available from a select few physicians in the US. It holds the possibility of not only stopping your eyes from getting worse but fully correcting your vision. 

While surgery should never be taken lightly, you need to consider that your current symptoms may worsen over time. Although you can do your best to correct your eyesight temporarily with glasses, contacts, and some medical procedures, you may be at risk of needing full cornea transplant surgery in the future.

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The Consequences of Delaying Corneal Repair

Before you live another day with compromised vision, consider the following nine reasons not to delay corneal reconstruction surgery:

Headaches

You may already be getting headaches and with poor vision, they could get worse. You’re more likely to get headaches from straining your eyes and brain to perform even simple tasks like reading or driving.

Loss of Reading Ability

Whether it’s a text from a friend, the latest meme on Facebook, or a book you can’t put down, reading relies on your eyesight. Much of our communication and entertainment is in written form. Vision loss can cut you off from all of it.

Loss of Ability to Pursue Hobbies or Personal Interests

Do you have a hobby that requires you to see anything small? Some examples are knitting or using electronics. As your sight diminishes, you may enjoy them less. 

Driving

One of the greatest freedoms we all share is mobility. We may even consider our cars part of our identity. Vision loss means that not only will you not be able to drive, but you’ll also be at a higher risk of an accident if you are driving.

Loss of Independence

The less we’re able to see, the more we need the help of someone who can. As a result, we lose our independence.

Risk of Injury

Everyone takes a spill at some time in their life. Poor vision makes falls more likely to occur. As we age, we run the risk of severe, even life-threatening, bone fractures.

Loss of Employment Prospects

Fair or not, many jobs require us to have good eyesight. As your vision diminishes, so can your choices in employment. 

Depression or Anxiety

As patients lose vision, they lose connection with the outside world. Research has shown a clear link of worsening eyesight to depression and anxiety.

Need For Corneal Transplant Surgery

Although transplant surgery can be helpful, it does carry several risks, including rejection of the new cornea, infection, and vision distortion because no two corneas are alike in shape. Cataracts are also a potential complication.

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Corneal Repair Surgery

Approved by the FDA, topographic guided ablation repair (corneal repair surgery) is a way to correct corneal warpage or damage without requiring a transplant. Although the procedure is more common in other countries, it is still mainly done by specialized eye surgeons, Dr. Motwani is one of only a few physicians performing it here in the US. Therefore, he is also one of the most experienced, and he has written and published the corneal repair protocol for the United States. He name it the San Diego Protocol after the city in which he lives and works. 

Dr. Motwani developed and now uses the San Diego Protocol as a method to repair and correct corneal distortion using FDA-approved software. This technique not only allows patients to fix the warpage of the cornea, but can also restore a patient’s vision entirely. Therefore, patients can come away from the surgery not needing contacts or glasses at all. 

Using the Contoura laser system, Dr. Motwani reconstructs your existing cornea. Depending on the extent of repair needed, some patients require two procedures: the first for the reconstruction of the cornea and the second for refractive correction. The goal is for you not to need glasses or contacts after. In cases of extreme corneal warpage, a patient’s vision can still improve to a point where contacts or glasses provide 20/20 vision. 

Don’t Delay Corneal Repair

Overall, the goal of corneal reconstruction is to fix damage or distortion to the cornea and eliminate the need for a transplant. If you’ve been experiencing the challenges of vision loss, don’t wait any longer.  Contact Dr. Motwani’s San Diego office today to determine if corneal reconstruction is your next step to better eyesight!

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