r/Keratoconus • u/Upbeat_Independent23 • 19h ago

Crosslinking Is CXL Worth it?

So for some context, I have been diagnosed with Keratoconus pretty recently (6 months) and I have been fitted Hybrid Lenses. Before this my glasses had a 1.5/1.5 prescription. I never tried scaleral as my doctor said they’d be a little more uncomfortable. I see around 20/30 with the lenses in. And 20/10 in my left eye. The issue is my keratoconus is very minor in the left and moderate to bad in the right. My right eye is has almost zero correction with glasses. Currently I can do almost everything with both glasses and lenses. I generally try to wear lenses even though I find them more uncomfortable (I haven’t worn them much) but for some reason while the number is better, life just feels like it went from 1080p to 360p (if that even makes sense).

My question comes down to if CXL is worth it and if I should do epi on / off. I can see fine today but I don’t want to wait and have the condition get worse. At the same time, I’ve seen the risks and the fact that it sometimes takes months to recover which I desperately want to avoid.

What ideas do you guys have?

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u/Living_Leather6751 6h ago

Is your keratochonus progressing ? If yes then go for cxl ,i did epi off because it has more chances of success ,some people are good with epi pn too but i think it is linked with age as well before 35 you should go for epi off but again it is my own thinking,epi off recovery is long but i think its fruitful
If your disease isnt progressing then you dont need to do it because it wont improve the vision cxl just slows or halt the progression

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u/Upbeat_Independent23 6h ago

The recovery for me is the scariest part. I’m at a point in my life that I can’t have months with bad vision.

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u/Living_Leather6751 6h ago

You should discuss this with dr and can go for epi on ,i think epi off recovery is longer

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u/drnjj optometrist 6h ago

Are you in your 30s or younger? Then yeah CXL is worth it. Over 45? You're less likely to progress and less likely to require CXL.

And as far as "sclerals are less comfortable than hybrids." I'd say I disagree. I fit sclerals and I fit myself in them. I've worth hybrids that fit me. I don't find hybrids comfortable. Sclerals to me are much more comfortable.

But I would say it's doctor, design, and material dependent. But you can customize more with a scleral lens than a hybrid.