World Keratoconus Day 10 November 2023 - Importance & History

World Keratoconus Day is a global healthcare awareness event observed on the 10th of November every year to create awareness about Keratoconus (KC) and support and advocate for those living with Keratoconus.



On this day, several organizations, companies, and healthcare professionals come together and conduct screening programs, educational seminars and webinars to create awareness about its impact on people suffering from Keratoconus.

Importance of World Keratoconus Day

Keratoconus, often called ‘KC’, is a degenerative eye disease in which the round dome-shaped cornea progressively thins and weakens, developing a cone-like bulge. It can result in significant visual loss. If left untreated, Keratoconus may lead to significant visual impairment and legal blindness.

Keratoconus has a link to certain conditions that may also be associated with chronic eye rubbing. These conditions include:

• Atopic dermatitis and allergic dermatitis.
• Allergic rhinitis.
• Asthma.
• Down syndrome.
• Ehlers-Danos syndrome.
• Osteogenesis imperfecta.

Congenital Congenital (present at birth) disorders that affect your eyes, like aniridia. Significant associations of Keratoconus (KCN) include Down syndrome, with an incidence between 0.5% to 15%, which is 10 to 300 times more prevalent than in the general population, Leber congenital amaurosis (affecting up to 30% of patients over the age of 15), and mitral valve prolapse (58%).

Keratoconus Keratoconus usually occurs bilaterally, but asymmetry is frequent. In a large series, 14.3% had unilateral disease. Although unilateral cases exist, their frequency might be lower than reported.

Although environmental variables probably influence the prognosis of the disease, Keratoconus (KCN) is believed to be inherited. Nearly 6% to 8% of reported cases have a positive family history or show symptoms of familial transmission.

Keratoconus (KC)  is a bilateral disorder that affects both eyes but with different severity, and it starts at a young age, so it affects an important part of the population, which is the young groups. World Keratoconus Day is celebrated to raise awareness about the the rare keratoconus (KC) condition.



Keratoconus was estimated to occur in at least 1 out of every 2000 individuals in the general population based on studies. However better screening techniques indicate that it may be as high as 1 in 750 persons worldwide. It is estimated that about 5%-30% of people with Down syndrome are affected by keratoconus, so World Keratoconus Day is celebrated to increase awareness about keratoconus and its potential signs and symptoms.

History of World Keratoconus Day

Preventive measures for Keratoconus (conical cornea)

While there is no known definitive way to prevent keratoconus, there are certain measures one can take to reduce the risk of increasing the condition or slowing its progression:

• Avoiding eye rubbing
• Protecting eyes from UV radiation
• Wearing proper fitted contact lenses
• Managing allergies
• Having Regular eye check-ups
  

Know more about health awareness days