✦ Cornea Clinic

The window to your world.When Your Cornea
Needs Expert Hands.

The cornea is the clear front surface of your eye — your eye's most powerful focusing lens, and its first line of defence. Injury, infection, irregular shape, or degenerative disease can cloud that clarity. We diagnose and treat the full spectrum of corneal conditions.

Book a Cornea Consultation Conditions we treat →

Keratoconus ScreeningCollagen Cross-LinkingPterygium SurgeryCorneal Ulcer Management

🔬 AS-OCT Corneal Imaging · Corneal Topography · Collagen Cross-Linking (CXL)

Understanding the Cornea

The Most Powerful Lens in Your Eye
Is One You Never Think About

The cornea provides approximately 65–75% of your eye's total focusing power — yet most people have never heard of it until something goes wrong. Unlike other eye structures, the cornea has no blood vessels; it depends on oxygen from the atmosphere and nourishment from tears. This makes it highly sensitive but also vulnerable to damage and disease.

The cornea is a transparent, dome-shaped tissue covering the front of the eye. It bends (refracts) light as it enters the eye, working together with the crystalline lens to focus images precisely on the retina. Any opacity, irregularity, or damage to the cornea can cause blurred vision, glare, photophobia (light sensitivity), or — in severe cases — significant visual impairment.

The cornea also acts as a physical and biological barrier against infection and trauma. The tear film that sits on its surface plays a critical role in maintaining corneal clarity, which is why dry eye disease and corneal disease are so often linked.

Anterior segment OCT — corneal cross-section imaging

⚠️ SEE US URGENTLY IF YOU EXPERIENCE:

Sudden onset of severe eye pain, redness, or photophobia
Visible white or grey spot on the coloured part of your eye
Rapidly worsening vision that doesn't improve with blinking
History of contact lens wear with any of the above symptoms
Eye injury involving sharp objects, chemicals, or high-velocity particles

Conditions We Treat

From Common to Complex —
Corneal Care Across the Spectrum

Corneal disease encompasses a wide range of conditions — each requiring a precise diagnosis and a targeted treatment approach. We manage all of the following at Madhavi Netralaya.

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Keratoconus

A progressive condition where the cornea thins and bulges forward into a cone shape, causing irregular astigmatism and progressively worsening vision that glasses cannot fully correct. Early detection and collagen cross-linking can halt progression permanently.

Treatable with CXL if caught early

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Pterygium

A triangular growth of conjunctival tissue that creeps onto the cornea, often triggered by chronic sun and dust exposure. When it encroaches on the visual axis or causes persistent irritation, surgical excision with amniotic membrane or autograft is recommended.

Surgical excision available

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Corneal Ulcer (Keratitis)

An open sore on the cornea — most commonly caused by bacterial, viral, or fungal infection. Contact lens wearers are at elevated risk. Requires urgent debridement, intensive antibiotic or antifungal therapy, and close monitoring. Delayed treatment can lead to permanent scarring.

Ophthalmic emergency

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Corneal Scar & Opacity

Scarring from prior infection, trauma, or surgery can cause permanent haze or opacity affecting vision. Early cases may be managed with treatment; dense central opacities affecting vision significantly may ultimately require corneal transplantation (referral available).

Assessment & referral

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Recurrent Corneal Erosion

Patients with prior corneal abrasion or dystrophy may experience repeated episodes of spontaneous epithelial breakdown — typically waking with severe pain and watering. Managed with bandage contact lens, lubricants, and superficial keratectomy where indicated.

Chronic condition management

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Microbial Keratitis (CXL)

In severe corneal infections that do not respond adequately to medication, accelerated Collagen Cross-Linking can be used as an adjunctive treatment to halt the enzymatic melting of corneal stroma by microbial collagenases — a potentially sight-saving intervention.

Adjunctive CXL available

✦ Signature Treatment

Collagen Cross-Linking —
Stop Keratoconus in Its Tracks.

Collagen Cross-Linking (CXL) is the only proven treatment that permanently halts keratoconus progression. UV-A light activates Riboflavin (Vitamin B2) drops applied to the cornea, triggering a photochemical reaction that stiffens the corneal collagen fibres — arresting the forward bulging before it worsens further.

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Halts progression permanently

In the majority of patients, corneal shape stabilises after a single CXL treatment

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Riboflavin + UV-A protocol

The Dresden protocol, refined over 20 years of clinical evidence

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~60–90 minutes per eye

Outpatient procedure under topical anaesthetic drops

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Also for infectious keratitis

Accelerated CXL used adjunctively for resistant corneal ulcers

CXL does not improve existing vision — it preserves what you currently have. This is why early detection of keratoconus is so important: the sooner treatment is performed, the more visual function is preserved for life.

Corneal diagnostics and cross-linking clinic

Surgical & Clinical Procedures

Every Corneal Procedure We Offer,
Explained Clearly

All procedures are performed under appropriate local anaesthesia by our experienced clinical team. Package pricing includes all standard consumables — please ask at the front desk for details.

Procedure	Technique	Notes
Pterygium Excision with Autograft Suture technique	Excision + conjunctival autograft from same eye	Gold standard. Lowest recurrence rate. Best cosmetic result.
Pterygium Excision with Dry Amniotic Membrane Suture technique	Excision + dried amniotic membrane graft	Good option when autograft tissue is limited
Pterygium Excision with Wet Amniotic Membrane Suture technique	Excision + fresh/wet amniotic membrane	Enhanced healing. Suitable for larger pterygia
Fibrin Glue Pterygium Excision Sutureless	Any of the above with fibrin tissue adhesive instead of sutures	Shorter procedure. Less postoperative discomfort. Premium option.
Corneal Ulcer Debridement + Intrastromal Antibiotics	Scraping + direct injection of antibiotics into corneal stroma	Medicines for injection charged separately
Bandage Contact Lens	Monthly soft BCL applied as therapeutic cover	For epithelial defects, erosions, post-surgical protection
Glued BCL (Cyanoacrylate)	Contact lens bonded to cornea with tissue adhesive	For small corneal perforations and persistent epithelial defects
Corneal Tear Repair	Microsurgical closure with fine nylon sutures under microscope	Without any other additional ocular damage. Emergency repair.
Corneo-Scleral Repair	Extended microsurgical closure across cornea and sclera	For lacerations extending posterior to limbus
Conjunctival Mass Removal	Excision of conjunctival lesion with primary closure or graft	Tissue sent for histopathology when indicated
Collagen Cross-Linking — Keratoconus Per eye	Standard Dresden protocol with Riboflavin + UV-A irradiation	Early-to-moderate keratoconus. Vision stabilisation — not improvement.
Collagen Cross-Linking — Microbial Keratitis Per eye	Accelerated CXL as adjunct to antibiotic therapy	For resistant ulcers with stromal melting. Adjunctive treatment.

Diagnostic Technology

Seeing the Cornea With
Sub-Micron Precision

Accurate corneal diagnosis requires both structural imaging and functional mapping. Our cornea diagnostic suite delivers both.

Structural Imaging

Anterior Segment OCT (AS-OCT)

High-resolution cross-sectional imaging of the cornea, anterior chamber, and angle. Measures corneal thickness layer by layer, maps keratoconus characteristics, and evaluates anterior segment anatomy before refractive or corneal surgery.

Corneal Mapping

Corneal Topography

Maps the curvature of the entire corneal surface with thousands of data points. Essential for keratoconus screening, contact lens fitting, refractive surgery candidacy, and monitoring progressive corneal disease over time.

Common Questions

What Cornea Patients Ask Us

Can keratoconus be cured by CXL?

CXL does not reverse keratoconus — it halts its progression. Most patients maintain stable corneal shape for years or decades after a single treatment. Patients who undergo CXL early in the disease typically preserve more functional vision long-term. Once stable, glasses or contact lenses can address residual refractive error.

Is a pterygium dangerous?

A small, stable pterygium that does not affect vision or cause symptoms can be monitored safely. However, if it grows toward the visual centre of the cornea, causes increasing astigmatism, produces persistent redness and irritation, or is cosmetically distressing, surgical excision is recommended.

I wear contact lenses. Am I at risk for corneal infection?

Contact lens wearers have a significantly elevated risk of Acanthamoeba keratitis and bacterial keratitis, particularly if lenses are worn overnight, used beyond their recommended duration, or stored in tap water. Any sudden eye pain, redness, or blurred vision in a contact lens wearer should be treated as an emergency.

How long does recovery take after pterygium surgery?

Most patients are comfortable for light activities within 1–2 weeks. The eye may appear red and feel gritty for several weeks while the grafted tissue settles. Vision typically stabilises at 4–6 weeks, at which point a final spectacle prescription can be given.

Can a corneal scar be removed?

Superficial corneal scars can sometimes be partially treated with excimer laser (PTK — phototherapeutic keratectomy). Dense, deep scars affecting central vision may ultimately require corneal transplantation. We assess each case individually and refer for transplantation where appropriate.

My son is 17 and his glasses power keeps changing. Could it be keratoconus?

Yes — frequent and progressive change in glasses power in a teenager or young adult, particularly if it is asymmetric between both eyes, is a warning sign for keratoconus. Corneal topography will confirm or rule it out definitively. We recommend screening without delay, as CXL is most effective when performed before significant corneal thinning has occurred.

The window to your world.When Your CorneaNeeds Expert Hands.

The Most Powerful Lens in Your EyeIs One You Never Think About

From Common to Complex —Corneal Care Across the Spectrum

Collagen Cross-Linking —Stop Keratoconus in Its Tracks.

Every Corneal Procedure We Offer,Explained Clearly

Seeing the Cornea WithSub-Micron Precision