---
title: "Keratoconus | Eye Health Guide"
description: "What keratoconus is, why the cornea bulges and distorts vision, why not rubbing the eyes matters, and how lenses and cross-linking help."
url: https://eyehealthguide.org/conditions/keratoconus/
source: Eye Health Guide
licence: "General information only. Cite the URL and the named medical reviewer."
---

Condition

# Keratoconus

Medical reviewer [Mr Mohamed Mohyudin](https://eyehealthguide.org/reviewers/mohamed-mohyudin/)· Last recorded site review July 6, 2026

### About this review

This page inherits the site’s previous review record. A separate, current article sign-off has not yet been recorded.

[How review works](https://eyehealthguide.org/reviewers/) · [Official biography & credentials](https://mohamedmohyudin.co.uk/author/mohamed-mohyudin/)

Quick answer

Keratoconus is a condition where the clear front of the eye (the cornea) gradually thins and bulges into a cone shape, distorting vision. It usually starts in the teens or twenties and is treated with glasses or special contact lenses, and with corneal cross-linking to slow its progression.

### On this page ⌄

1. Your next step
2. What it is
3. Common symptoms
4. Causes and risk factors
5. Treatment
6. Related conditions
7. Related symptoms
8. Treatments & Surgery
9. Frequently asked questions

## What it is

In keratoconus, the cornea becomes thinner and bulges forward into an irregular cone shape. This distorts the way light enters the eye, causing increasingly blurred and distorted vision. It often progresses slowly over years and usually affects both eyes.

## Common symptoms

Symptoms often begin in the teens or early twenties.

- Blurred or distorted vision
- Increasing short-sightedness and astigmatism
- Glare and halos around lights, especially at night
- Frequent changes to your glasses prescription

## Causes and risk factors

The exact cause is unclear, but it is linked to vigorous eye rubbing, a family history, allergies and conditions involving frequent eye rubbing. Avoiding rubbing the eyes is an important part of protecting the cornea.

## Treatment

Early keratoconus can be corrected with glasses or soft contact lenses. As it advances, special rigid or specialist contact lenses give clearer vision. Corneal cross-linking can strengthen the cornea and slow or stop progression, and a corneal transplant may be needed in advanced cases.

## Related conditions

## Related symptoms

## Treatments & Surgery

## Frequently asked questions

### Can keratoconus be cured?

There is no cure, but treatment manages it well. Lenses correct vision, and corneal cross-linking can slow or halt progression, especially when started early.

### Does rubbing your eyes cause keratoconus?

Vigorous eye rubbing is strongly linked to keratoconus and can make it worse, so avoiding rubbing is an important part of protecting your eyes.

### Will I need a corneal transplant?

Most people do not. Lenses and cross-linking manage many cases, and a transplant is usually only considered for advanced keratoconus that other treatments cannot correct.

Your next step

## Take this to your appointment

Write down what has changed, when it started, your current medicines and the questions you want answered. Take these to your eye-care appointment.

Sudden loss of sight, severe eye pain or a dark curtain across vision needs immediate assessment. Do not wait to complete a worksheet.

## Sources for this information

These references support the information on this page. Follow the linked source for its full context.

- [Keratoconus - Moorfields Eye Hospital](https://www.moorfields.nhs.uk/eye-conditions/keratoconus)