Corneal cross-linking
cross-linking · CXL · corneal strengthening · keratoconus treatment
The cornea is soaked with vitamin drops and treated with ultraviolet light. It becomes stronger and changes shape less.
Most often for keratoconus, when the cornea gets thinner and the condition is getting worse.
⏱ Duration: the procedure usually takes about an hour; the surface heals in a few days
Be sure to tell your doctor
How to prepare
- Contact lenses. Lenses are usually stopped beforehand. The clinic will tell you how long.
- Tests. Before the procedure, the thickness and shape of the cornea are measured.
- Getting home. Have someone take you home. You cannot drive.
- At home. Get the drops you will be prescribed, and sunglasses.
What to bring
- Your ID
- Your cornea test results
- Sunglasses
- Someone to go with you
How it goes
- Numbing drops are put in your eye
- A small device holds your eyelid open
- The doctor usually removes the thin top layer of the cornea
- Vitamin drops are put in several times
- Your eye is treated with ultraviolet light while you look at a point
- At the end, a soft protective lens is put in
What you'll feel
- During the procedure, it usually does not hurt
- Afterward, for 1 to 3 days, there is pain, stinging, watering, and sensitivity to light
- Vision may be worse than usual for the first few weeks
Afterwards
- Use the drops exactly as the doctor said
- Do not rub your eye or remove the protective lens yourself
- The doctor usually removes the protective lens after a few days
- Vision settles over a few months
Contact a doctor straight away if
- Severe pain that the prescribed medicines do not help
- Pus or a white spot on the cornea
- A sudden drop in vision
- The protective lens fell out: contact the clinic
Common questions
Will cross-linking improve my vision?
The main goal is to stop it from getting worse. Sometimes vision improves a little.
Can both eyes be done at once?
Usually one at a time. The doctor decides.