350.jpg

Welcome to question of the day #350

Eyetool question of the day #350

I work in an area where there is a lot of keratoconus. I don’t have any sophisticated technology. Do you have any tips on how I can detect keratoconus as early as possible?

You don’t need any sophisticated technology to detect early keratoconus.

Here are my favourite techniques using simple ophthalmic equipment for detecting signs of early keratoconus.

Use your retinoscope and/or subjective refraction to look for an increase in myopic astigmatism over a short period of time. For example, a teenager that comes back several times in 12 months complaining of problems seeing with new glasses and needs new glasses because her myopia and astigmatism keep changing magnitude and axis is very likely to have keratoconus.

If you notice that a young person’s astigmatism has changed and the meridians are no longer 90 degrees apart then the patient is very likely to have keratoconus.

If during retinoscopy you notice a red scissor reflex then the patient is likely to have keratoconus.

If during direct ophthalmoscopy of the anterior segment, you notice an oil droplet appearance in the red reflex then the patient is very likely to have keratoconus.

If you have a keratometer and you notice that a patient has distorted mires then they are very likely to have keratoconus.

Using a retinoscope, ophthalmoscope, and keratometer in these ways will ensure you won’t miss any cases of keratoconus.350

Support what they do
You can become a member of EyeTools and support them in building a better and more sustainable professional development platform through kindness and appreciation for what them do. It also helps them build a better relationship with you over a longer period of time and you will receive some cool benefits along the way such as Certificates of Completion. To become a member, go to https://eyetools.in/

EyeTools-use it to get even better at what you do. Get the edge and be better than your competitors.Get Frank’s most recent books The Art of Investigating Binocular Vision Anomalies and The Art of Clinical Practice in Optometry for a deeper insight into everyday clinical practice.If you know someone that might benefit from these messages, please forward this to them. We are always looking to bring EyeTools to new people and we could use your help!