INTRODUCTION
This article is about keratoconus (KC), a disorder
of the human eye that rarely causes blindness but
can significantly interfere with vision. Sight
is our most precious sense, and any diminution
of it is regrettable. Our eyes alone save us from
perpetual darkness, and they fill our lives with
all the glory of creation. They enable us to scan
the vast sweep of the universe a million light
years away, or examine the minute details of a
flower held in the hand. Our eyes are wondrous
devices that we often take for granted, too often
fail to protect, and rarely understand.
If you are a keratoconus patient, or the relative
or friend of a KC patient, this book is for you.
It provides some basic information about keratoconus
and should encourage you to speak more knowingly
and freely with your eye care practitioner. It
is intended to help you to better understand your
disorder. It is also intended to help those who
daily associate with KC patients to appreciate
the nature of this eye problem and its resultant
effect on a patient's life.
The text is the product of suggestions and ideas
presented by keratoconus patients and eye care
practitioners. An effort has been made to minimize
technical language and to describe the human eye
and keratoconus in terms anyone can understand.
The text is supplemented by sketches that will
assist the layman in quickly comprehending the
subject matter.
We will frequently use the letters KC to refer
to keratoconus in an abbreviated manner.
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