looking for 100 more participants

HEALTH: Keratoconus research looking for 100 more participants

By Joyce Mathan

CHAT 21 | Issue 79, Spring 2019 Thank you to our participants and support persons for helping us to advance this first in New Zealand eye research project. Comprehensive assessments for an eye disease called keratoconus has been carried out for over 100 individuals with Down syndrome. It has been an honour and a pleasure working alongside you in this ground-breaking initiative. Registration for this study is still open and we are still in search of participants. We hope to involve at least 200 individuals with Down syndrome by February 2020. Please contact us for further information or to book an appointment. This project aims to determine how common keratoconus is, specifically in individuals with Down syndrome and the nature of how the disease progresses. The cornea is the ‘clear window’ of the eye and is located in front of the coloured part, the iris. In keratoconus, the cornea becomes thinner and weaker so it begins to protrude, changing its shape from round to pointed/cone shaped. This shape change is the reason for reduced vision, which worsens as the disease progresses and the shape of the cornea becomes more distorted.