CK (Conductive Keratoplasty)

CK is a refractive surgical procedure to treat mild to moderate degrees of far-sightedness, technically known as hyperopia. Far-sighted eyes either have corneas that are flatter than normal or shorter than normal eyeball length and therefore these patients constantly have to “focus” their eyes in order to see clearly. This becomes more of a problem as we age and there is less ability to do this focusing. Just about everyone experiences this focusing problem as we age and this is referred to as presbyopia, which means “old vision.”

CK is a procedure that alleviates far-sightedness or presbyopia by steepening the cornea, the clear membrane at the front of the eye. CK is not a laser procedure such as Lasik surgery. Rather, it is a procedure that utilizes radio frequency energy which is applied to the peripheral cornea with a tiny probe. The energy causes contraction of the protein tissue in the cornea which causes corneal curvature steepening. When the cornea is steepened, then the focusing mechanism of the eye has less work to do and the eye sees more clearly.

As with any surgical procedure, some patients are better candidates than others. The ideal candidate is one who is minimally far-sighted and who is in their late 30’s or older and having more difficulty seeing and reading. If your distance vision is good and you are having reading difficulties, CK might be an option for you, but keep in mind that CK may diminish your distance vision somewhat in order to gain better reading vision. So contrary to popular belief, CK is not a way to “turn back the clock” so to speak.

The risk of CK generally speaking is very low. There is, as with any surgical procedure, a risk of infection, but the incidence is extremely low. There is also a chance that your best corrected vision could be decreased, but again a very low risk. Generally speaking, the risk involved with CK is lower than the laser procedures. The procedure itself takes less than 15 minutes and is painless. Recovery is very quick with patients usually able to see a noticeable difference immediately following the procedure.

Dr. Hendricks and his refractive coordinator, Mickey Kaminsky, will be more than happy to further explain this procedure to you and to help you decide if you are a good candidate.