The Use of Contact Lenses for Treating Pellucid Marginal Degeneration

Problems with our eyesight's can not be evaded, especially if they are congenital. Most often, these eye complications can be easily treated yet there are certain conditions that are difficult to handle, that may require rigorous work and many years before it can be treated. Pellucid marginal degeneration is one eye condition that is uncommon to people.

What is pellucid marginal regeneration?

Pellucid marginal degeneration is a very rare situation that does not cause any swelling that is characterized by the thinning of the cornea while at the same time; optics in the cornea also become unbalanced which causes blurring of vision. When your cornea gets very round like a woman's belly when she's pregnant, you are a possible candidate of pellucid marginal degeneration. It sticks out starting from the lower cornea up to the center of the cornea. This results for the cornea to stick out forward that disfigures your geographic area of vision.

Oftentimes, pellucid marginal degeneration (PMD) is mistaken as keratoconus since it has similar symptoms with this eye condition. However, pellucid marginal degeneration occurs most times in one eye only, this happens when the lower part of the cornea protrudes frontward. This condition may be hereditary and both eyes may get this condition too. When both eyes get affected with PMD, one eye is often worse than the other eye.

Who can get pellucid marginal degeneration?

People ranging from ages 20-40 are most susceptible to pellucid marginal degeneration, in other words, people in their adulthood are prone to this condition.

Symptoms of Pellucid Marginal Degeneration

Pellucid marginal degeneration can be determined if you have one or all of the following indications:

• Pain is usually not experienced under this condition and it is non-inflammatory, so you feel anything different at all.
• You will be able to figure out if you have pellucid marginal degeneration when you have your eyes examined and your cornea is quite sticking out forward and the cornea is lessening.
• It often leads to a high level of astigmatism when not figured out in its early stages.
• Your driving vision is very blurry and most times you have difficulty seeing things from afar (cars, roads, streets and stop lights).

Treating Pellucid Marginal Degeneration

The good news is that, pellucid marginal degeneration can be generally treated and stabilize with the help of proper maintenance care and frequent eye examinations, although treatment may take up quite some time. The use of specialized contact lenses can help reduce pellucid marginal degeneration.

1. Rigid Gas Permeable contact lenses - RGP's supplies outstanding diffusion of oxygen to the cornea helping the eyes breathe and relax
2. Toric Hydrophilic contact lenses - very helpful for patient's who have pellucid marginal degeneration in its mild or early stages
3. Hybrid contact lenses - hybrid contact lenses are easier to fit in the cornea than most contact lenses, also; these contact lenses are very good for improving one's vision
4. Spherical Hydrophilic contact lenses - these are very comfortable and flexible to wear, water absorbent and has a high oxygen transmission
5. Soft Toric contact lenses - soft toric contact lenses are also ideal for PMD patients provided that these contact lenses have components of decreasing astigmatism
6. Mini-scleral or Scleral Rigid contact lenses - these are contact lenses made of gas permeable materials that are an excellent alternative from the other types of contact lenses that when fitted correctly by your eye doctor can provide you better vision

It is said that contact lenses having larger diameters whether they are soft, rigid or scleral contact lenses are most often a lot more comfortable as compared to the conventional rigid gas permeable corneal contact lenses.

Brands of Contact Lenses Suitable for PMD

1. SofLens Toric contact lenses - perfect for treating astigmatism that are incurred from pellucid marginal degeneration, with a special patented La-Torque design that keeps contact lenses in place while providing maximum comfort
2. Synergeyes Hybrid contact lenses - the most prescribed type of contact lens for treating pellucid marginal degeneration problems
3. Boston VII contact lenses - these are rigid gas permeable contact lenses helping patients with PMD, they can choose from this lens designs: toric, bitoric, bifocal or aspheric

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