Corneal crosslinking is a treatment for keratoconus and corneal ectasia following laser vision correction.
In these conditions, the front part of the eye, known as the cornea, thins and gets progressively weaker over time. This makes it bulge from a sphere to a cone, and this shape change can distort the eye’s vision and make it difficult to see clearly.
In the crosslinking procedure, doctors use riboflavin eye drops and an ultraviolet (UV) light to make the tissues of the cornea stronger. This prevents the bulge from getting worse.
It’s called “crosslinking” because it adds special chemical bonds between proteins in the cornea. These chemical bridges work like support beams to stabilize the cornea. This is an outpatient procedure that changes the shape of the cornea to correct refractive errors such as Myopia, Hyperopia, and Astigmatism
The UCLA Department of Ophthalmology provides the only FDA-approved crosslinking procedure. Medical insurance plans sometimes cover the procedure. We also offer it on a cash-pay basis.
