Grateful to Gary Smith of ArmChair Medical TV to give a talk to Sydney based General Practitioners about the dangers of eye rubbing and Keratoconus – a highly under-appreciated form of vision impairment.
Keratoconus is a distortion of the cornea (the clear, collagenous front window of the eye), gives rise to progressive vision impairment, and is not reversible. Concerningly, highest risk patients are usually in their adolescence or early twenties and certain ethnicities are also at higher risk.
Key take home facts:
- Eye rubbing, especially frequently and vigorously, is dangerous and every effort should be made to curb its behaviour.
- It is often under-recognised as it is seen as an innocent, innocuous habit.
- Prevention is key. Treatment of atopy (“allergic eyes”), dry eye and habits should be aggressively pursued.
