{"id":1955,"date":"2026-10-20T08:54:14","date_gmt":"2026-10-20T08:54:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/laseristanbulclinic.com\/eye-health\/keratoconus-cornea\/keratoconus-symptoms-stages-and-treatment-options\/"},"modified":"2026-10-20T12:59:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T12:59:10","slug":"keratoconus-symptoms-stages-and-treatment-options","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/laseristanbulclinic.com\/en\/eye-health\/keratoconus-cornea\/keratoconus-symptoms-stages-and-treatment-options\/","title":{"rendered":"Stages of Keratoconus: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment Options"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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  1. Home<\/a><\/li>
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  4. Stages of Keratoconus: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment Options<\/span><\/li><\/ol><\/div>\t\t\t

    Stages of Keratoconus: Symptoms, Causes and Treatment Options<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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    \"Close-up<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

    The stages of keratoconus run from stage 1 (an early, mild cone) to stage 4 (a very thin, scarred cornea), most often graded with the Amsler-Krumeich system. Symptoms begin with blurred, distorted vision and a prescription that keeps changing. Treatment depends on whether the cornea is getting worse: cross-linking stops progression, while lenses, corneal rings or a transplant improve vision. Do\u00e7. Dr. Muhammet Derda \u00d6zer (“Do\u00e7.” means Associate Professor) leads keratoconus care at Laser Istanbul Clinic.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n\n

    What is keratoconus?<\/h2><\/div>

    Keratoconus is an eye condition in which the cornea, the clear dome at the front of the eye, gradually thins and bulges forward into a cone shape. The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) describes it as the cornea thinning out and bulging like a cone. Because the cornea does most of the eye’s focusing, a cone bends light unevenly and vision becomes blurred and distorted in a way that glasses correct less and less well.<\/p>\n

    It often starts in the late teens or early twenties, and the AAO says vision symptoms slowly get worse over about 10 to 20 years, although the pace varies a great deal from person to person. NHS eye-hospital information stresses that keratoconus does not cause blindness and that, even in advanced stages, vision can usually still be corrected with contact lenses.<\/p>\n

    It is also more common than older textbooks suggest. EyeWiki, the AAO’s clinical encyclopaedia, quotes a prevalence of about 1 in 700 and notes higher rates in the Middle East, India, China and Australia. A nationwide Dutch registry study of 4.4 million people, published in 2017, found a prevalence of about 1 in 375, with an average age at diagnosis of 28.3 years and 60.6% of patients male.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n\n

    What causes keratoconus?<\/h2><\/div>

    The exact cause of keratoconus is not known. The AAO lists genetics, eye allergies, excessive eye rubbing and connective-tissue disorders such as Marfan and Ehlers-Danlos syndromes as associated factors, and NHS eye-hospital information says both genetic and environmental factors play a part. In other words, keratoconus is not one single cause but a weak cornea meeting a trigger.<\/p>\n

    The keratoconus causes and risk factors that doctors describe most often are:<\/p>\n