Articoli Scientifici di Oftalmologia
Argomento : 2
Keratoconus
Scarica tutto l'articolo Keratoconus, (derived from the Greek terms kerato, meaning horn, cornea,
and konos meaning cone) is a degenerative,
non-inflammatory disorder of the cornea.
It
is characterised by central and para-central
corneal stromal thinning and subsequent
conical ectasia. This conical distortion of
the cornea results in irregular astigmatism
with associated reduction in visual performance.
It typically presents in adolescence
and progresses in a variable manner.
It was first described by British
physician John Nottingham in his text
Practical observations on conical cornea: and
on the short sight, and other defects of vision
connected with it in 1854.1 In 1859, British
surgeon William Bowman described
both the ophthalmoscopic features of
keratoconus and its diagnosis and the
first surgical attempts to restore vision by
stretching the pupil into a stenopeic-like
slit.2 In 1869,
Swiss ophthalmologist Johan
Horner used the term ‘keratoconus’ in his
thesis on the treatment of the condition,3
which included attempts to reshape the
cornea by chemical cauterisation. In 1888,
in the first practical application of contact
lens technology, French physician Eugène
Kalt manufactured a glass scleral shell to
improve vision in keratoconic eyes
