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Comment by culopatin | Hacker News Reader

I wonder if this would apply to keratoconus. My cornea is thin and can’t hold its shape well, so I see double with each eye, i constantly see ghosting, like when the old analog tvs we’re not getting the signal quite right. I wonder rid this would regrow my cornea and allow me to play tennis or read a screen at night.

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Very unlikely. This is specifically about treating limbal stem cell deficiency, to which keratoconus seems to be unrelated. Furthermore, it is specifically about treating unilateral LSCD in one eye by transplanting stem cells from the other, healthy eye. Meaning, it doesn't apply when both eyes are afflicted. Thirdly, the treatment helped patients to meet the preconditions for a corneal transplant, which means it's no substitute for a corneal transplant. This isn't a magical "regrow my cornea" treatment.

The vision of half (2/4) of the patient has improved enough to no longer require a transplantation

People who experience chemical burns and other eye injuries may develop limbal stem cell deficiency, an irreversible loss of cells on the tissue surrounding the cornea. These patients experience permanent vision loss, pain and discomfort in the affected eye. Without limbal cells and a healthy eye surface, patients are unable to undergo artificial cornea transplants, the current standard of vision rehabilitation.

So my understanding is that the cornea isn't exactly "alive" anymore. As a guess, you would be better off wondering if there are chemicals getting into the vitreous that cause keratoconus and if those chemicals can in some way be mitigated.

/random internet stranger making conversation. Definitely Not A Doctor.

Is C3R surgery not an option? My keratoconus slightly improved after that, but the goal of the treatment is to stop things getting worse; not to fix it.

According to my doctor it normally stops progressing at around 40 so I got the surgery as a kind of insurance policy if it didn't. But even then there aren't any guarantees. My vision tests did indicate some improvement, albeit barely perceptible.

Fair enough. I (42) also recently opted for Refractive Lens Exchange (cataract) surgery even though I didn't medically need it. I got sick of wearing lenses and glasses. It might be worth checking out if it's appropriate for you since contact lenses help with Keratoconus more than glasses.

This is anecdotal of course, but C3R didn't help in my case, the KC still continued to worsen. I kinda regret it, because it also reduced CL tolerance for one eye.

I've had a graft arising from KC — you shouldn't regret the C3R, its the right move to try whatever you can to treat the disease and it is the best option available.

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