Treatment of Corneal Infections

The cornea is the clear covering of the front of the eye which bends, or refracts, light rays as they enter the eye. For clear vision to occur, the cornea must have the correct shape and clarity to focus incoming light rays precisely on the retina at the back of the eye. When the cornea becomes cloudy or misshapen from injury, infection or disease, transplantation may be recommended to replace it.

Corneal transplants are usually performed with local anesthesia so there is no pain. During the procedure, the cornea is replaced with one from a human donor. The new cornea carries little risk of rejection and can last for many years.

Corneal cross-linking is a minimally invasive outpatient procedure that combines the use of Photrexa® Viscous (riboflavin 5’-phosphate in 20% dextran ophthalmic solution), Photrexa® (riboflavin 5’-phosphate ophthalmic solution) and the KXL® system for the treatment of progressive keratoconus.

The safety and effectiveness of corneal cross-linking has not been established in pregnant women, women who are breastfeeding, patients who are less than 14 years of age and patients 65 years of age or older.

Corneal cross-linking stiffens corneas that have been weakened by disease. Photrexa® solutions are the first and only therapeutic products for corneal cross-linking which have been FDA approved to treat progressive keratoconus, and we offer them to patients in our practice.