Advancements in technology move ahead everyday with the singular purpose of making lives better. If you ask most Cornea surgeons about the one technology that they’ve been waiting for over the past couple of years, they’re likely to tell you about Corneal Collagen Crosslinking or CXL.  The wait is now over. Dr. David O’Day at Charleston Cornea and Refractive Surgery in Mount Pleasant, SC  is proud to adopt and implement this life changing procedure.

CXL is a simple procedure that uses Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) and UV light to strengthen corneas. Corneas can become weak, progressively thin and bow forward causing irregular astigmatism and loss of vision in some patients. This process is called ‘ectasia’. The most common cause of ectasia is keratoconus. Rarely, patients with a history of LASIK can also develop ectasia.

Traditionally, patients who had Keratoconus had to wear hard contact lenses and bear with deteriorating vision. Surgeons were forced to watch as the disease progressed in many of their patients until they required a corneal transplant. The goal of CXL is to stabilize and even reverse ectatic corneas and prevent progression of the disease.

CXL is performed in our medical office in Mount Pleasant, SC, and takes approximately 30 minutes each of prep time and treatment time. The most wonderful thing about this procedure is that it is minimally invasive and involves only eye drops, UV light and a painless brushing off of the surface cells of the cornea. Recovery generally takes a few days, after which, vision recovers slowly over the next few weeks. This technology is a game changer and we are proud to offer it to our patients!

No matter what your vision-related issues are, it is crucial to have a skilled, caring, and trusted health care provider. If you live in Charleston, Mount Pleasant, North Charleston, and Myrtle Beach SC or surrounding areas, please schedule an appointment at Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery for an annual eye exam, LASIK vision correction, or help with a variety of vision-related issues such as Cataracts. Call us at (843) 856-5275 for more information.