CONDUCTIVE KERATOPLASTY

Conductive Keratoplasty (CK) can help restore your vision, allowing you to see clearly like you could 10 years ago. It’s an exciting new advancement in vision correction because it uses radiofrequency (RF) energy instead of a laser to treat your vision problem.

BENEFITS

1. No cutting - helps minimize side effects and speed recovery
2. Convenient and safe - your doctor performs the procedure in his of her office
3. Fast and easy - takes only 3-5 minutes and is virtually painless

HOW CK WORKS

CK is surgical technique involving application of mild heat energy generated by radiofrequencies to reshape the eye’s clear front surface (cornea). Reshaping the cornea alters the way light enters the eye to achieve clearer focus. When the shape is changed, light can be refocused on the correct part of your eye (retina). To produce this reshaping, CK uses the controlled release of RF energy to heat and shrink corneal tissue. This steepens the cornea and allows light to properly focus on the retina again.

WHAT TO EXPECT DURING A CK PROCEDURE

Once your doctor has determined that you are a candidate for CK, your cornea will be mapped to determine its current and individual shape. This will be used to plan the procedure and measure results.

Before the procedure, the only requirements are not to wear makeup and arrange for transportation to and from your doctor’s office. The procedure itself is fast and simple:

1. Apply numbing (anesthetic eye drops)
2. Imprint treatment pattern with rinse-away dye
3. Use Keratoplast Tip to apply Radiofrequency (RF) energy.

After the procedure, you may elect to wear dark glasses. There is generally no need to wear dark glasses. There is generally no need to wear a patch. As with other vision procedures, you may experience some discomfort and light sensitivity for a few days.

ARE YOU A CANDIDATE FOR CK?

When we turn 40, our eyes begin losing their ability to focus on near objects. This can be the result of two different conditions:

Farsightedness (hyperopia): When the surface of the eye (cornea) is too flat, changing the way our eye focus light. Young eyes are often strong enough to compensate, which is why it may only be a problem after 40.

Presbyopia: When the lens in the eye loses flexibility because of age, this also causes problems in the way our eyes focus light. Everybody over age 50 will eventually suffer from this condition.

If you are over 40 and wearing reading glasses or suffering from headaches after focusing on near objects, you may be a candidate for CK. Other criteria include:

1. No significant changes in your vision for 1 year
2. No chronic eye disorders
3. Not pregnant or nursing
4. No chronic illness or disease

If you meet the above criteria, talk to your doctor and get a full eye examination. He or she will determine your specific vision problem and treatment plan. If your doctor determines that you have hyperopia, both eyes will be treated because both corneas need to be reshaped for clear vision. If you have presbyopia, your doctor may recommend “blended vision”, unlike “monovision” (where one eye is treated for near vision, leaving the untreated eye for distance vision), blended vision improves your ability to focus on near objects without sacrificing distance vision in the treated eye. This makes it easier for you to adjust to the two separate images. If you have not tolerated monovision treatments in the past, blended vision may be a better choice. Ask your doctor or ophthalmic technician for more information.