Conductive Keratoplasty (CK)

What is Conductive Keratoplasty?

CK is an in-office procedure designed to aid people over age 40 who have good distance vision but now have trouble seeing up close for reading and other near tasks (a condition called presbyopia). Less commonly, CK can also be used to correct farsightedness (hyperopia). The procedure lasts about three minutes.

Preparation

The eye is numbed, and the surrounding area is cleaned. The eyelids are opened with an instrument called a lid speculum.

Tightening the Cornea

The doctor lightly touches a pen-shaped probe to the cornea. The probe emits radiofrequency (RF) energy from a thin, cool tip about the width of a human hair. The doctor traces a circular pattern of treatment spots around the cornea. The RF energy causes small areas of corneal tissue to shrink, tightening the cornea and correcting its curvature.

End of Procedure/After Care

No eye patch is required after the procedure. Patients can generally return to work the same day, and vision will begin to improve in about a week.