MDNews - Greater Kansas

W H E N H I S D A U G H T E R , Zoey, wa s diagnosed with the condition in 2017, a new treatment option that can halt the progression of the disease, preserve one's vision and avoid a corneal transplant had become available. The El l ises u nder went t he t reat- ment, called corneal cross-linking, on the same day in February 2018. Dasa V. Gangadhar, MD, of Grene Vision Group, who had been monitoring Mike's con- dition since it was first diagnosed and then became Zoey 's ophtha lmologist, performed the procedures. Ba sed i n Wich it a , K a nsa s, Grene Vision Group is the on ly practice in Kansas, outside of the Kansas City area, that performs the procedure that uses a combination of riboflavin and ultra- violet light to treat keratoconus patients, Dr. Gangadhar notes. "It's a relief to me to know that we will likely not need a corneal transplant," says BY AMY GEISZLER-JONES Condition often appears in early teen years Treatment for KERATOCONUS Helps Avoid Corneal Transplant Wichitans Mike Ellis and his daughter, Zoey, both had corneal cross-linking performed by Dasa V. Gangadhar, MD, Grene Vision Group ophthalmologist WHEN WICHITAN MIKE ELLIS WA S DIAGNOSED 25 YE ARS AGO WITH KER ATOCONUS, A CONDITION IN WHICH THE CORNE A BECOMES MISSHAPEN, HIS TRE ATMENT OPTIONS WERE TO MONITOR ITS PROGRESSION AND GE T STRONGER CORRECTIVE LENSES UNTIL THE SE VERIT Y OF HIS VISION LOSS WOULD REQUIRE A CORNE AL TR ANSPL ANT. Mike Ellis, the Chief Financial Officer with Delta Dental of Kansas. "Thanks to this treatment, my eyes are stable and my daughter's eyes are stable." WHAT IS KERATOCONUS? Dr. Ga ngad ha r ca l ls keratoconus "a disease of the young." That 's because s y mpt om s , wh ich i nclude blu r re d , distorted or double vision and light sen- sitivity, tend to appear around puberty or one's teenage years. For Mike, symptoms appeared when he was 19; his daughter's symptoms appeared when she was 13. With keratoconus, the normally dome- shaped cornea — the clear tissue at the very front of the eye that allows light to pass through to the retina — begins to thin out and bulge forward in a cone shape. Because the cornea is misshapen, the light rays are out of focus, affecting one's vision. Its cause hasn't been determined, but genetics do play a part, Dr. Gangadhar says. "It occurs in family more commonly than by chance alone," he says. "The exact genetics have yet to be elucidated, but unquestionably, there's a genetic linkage." According to the American Academy of Ophtha lmolog y (A AO), about one of every 10 patients with keratoconus has a parent with it. It's also associated with excessive eye rubbing, according to Dr. Gangadhar and the A AO. Mike says knowing there's a genetic link and that it manifests in teen years has him and his wife on the lookout for any changes in their son's vision, as he's now 13. Zoey had to wait until she was 14 to have the procedure, which is FDA-approved for patients ages 14 to 65. Generally, patients with keratoconus tend to have worsening vision over the next decade or so after diagnosis that requires cha nges in cor rective lens prescriptions until a corneal transplant is needed. M D N E W S . C O M /// M D N E W S G R E AT E R K A N S A S ■ 2 019 1 1

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