Cornea

The cornea is the clear structure at the front of the eye. It forms part of the external structure of the eye and is the first optical element of the eye involved in forming a focused image on the retina. Disorders of the cornea can result in an irregular shape or loss of transparency of the cornea which can degrade the quality of vision. The cornea is also very sensitive so small foreign bodies ulcers or abrasions can be very painful.

Common conditions of the cornea that require specialist treatment include keratoconus, herpetic keratitis and Fuch’s dystrophy.

At North West Eye Specialists we have extensive equipment and expertise in evaluating the cornea. These include:

• Corneal topography – a technique for precisely measuring the curvature of the cornea
• Anterior segment OCT – a high resolution method for measuring corneal thickness
• Corneal pachymetry – an ultrasonic measurement of corneal dimensions

Professor Mark Daniell consults at North West Eye Specialists and can offer our patients the latest techniques of surgical treatment including:

• Collagen Cross Linking – a technique for early keratoconus which can arrest or reverse the disease
• DSAEK – a new partial thickness corneal transplant technique
• Penetrating Keratoplasty – Full thickness corneal transplantation