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KeraNews

Summer 2025-26 Update

KeraClub 2025 video now online

As part of the celebration of World Keratoconus Day, Keratoconus Australia and the Save Sight Institute held their annual KeraClub online event on November 12, 2025.

Patient advocate Clare Smith gave a moving account of her life as a young mother while navigating the many challenges thrown up by keratoconus.

World leading researchers, Professor Stephanie Watson OAM and Dr Himal Kandel provided an update on the latest developments in keratoconus and the findings of the Save Sight Keratoconus Registry.

Young researchers also presented intriguing findings on the role of social determinants in keratoconus, UV exposure and keratoconus and how AI is influencing corneal transplant outcomes. Contact Lens society president, Martin Robinson provided insider tips on managing contact lenses

Watch the whole webinar here or see below for links to the various speakers.

Speaker List
0:00 Welcome
3:21 Himal Kandel - Update on research outcomes at the Save Sight Keratoconus Registry
8:24 Martin Robinson - Practical tips on contact lens wear
20:58 Larry Kornhauser OAM - 25 years of Keratoconus Australia
34:49 Ruby Chan - Social determinants in keratoconus
40:00 Tiffney Nesakumar – UV exposure and its impact on keratoconus
46:00 Ethan Wilkinson – Novel applications of AI in corneal graft outcomes
50:39 Clare Smith – Living with keratoconus: A patient’s perspective
1:02:14 Professor Stephanie Watson OAM –Advances in keratoconus treatment and patient resources
1:15:21 Amanda Craze - Supporing keratoconus research
1:20:00 Q&A

Pricing Patients Out of Sight

scleral lenses

In a passionate address to the Corneal and Contact Lenses Society of Australia (CCLSA) Keratoconus Australia President Larry Kornhauser OAM urged optometrists and ophthalmologists to take action over the spiralling cost of speciality contact lenses, which he said is fast pricing many patients out of sight.

Mr Kornhauser was participating in a CCLSA webinar held on October 26 dedicated to keratoconus and which was also addressed by Save Sight Keratoconus Registry chief investigator and leading keratoconus specialist, Professor Stephanie Watson OAM and CCLSA President Martin Robinson.

Mr Kornhauser said that optometrists must join the Save Sight Keratoconus Registry to provide (anonymised) patient data on costs and outcomes of contact lens fittings to enable the Association and others to advocate for better support for low income and disadvantaged patients.

Read his full address here

Save Sight Keratoconus Registry Update

Researchers at the Save Sight Keratoconus Registry have produced a raft of papers on keratoconus, its impact on patients and studies of the safety and efficacy of treatment

Professor Stephanie L. Watson and Dr Himal Kandel (center) with members of the Corneal Research Group, RANZCO 2025, Melbourne

Over the past 12 months, Save Sight researchers published papers on the quality of life outcomes of patients who have not had surgery, a study of crosslinking outcomes for children with thin corneas, Intereye Asymmetry as a Predictor of Progression in Patients with Untreated Keratoconus and a review of a new pulsed corneal crosslinking protocol in the treatment of Keratoconus

Lay summaries of all the research publications in 2024-25 can be downloaded here

Summaries of papers published in 2023-2024 can be found in the attached pdf document along with simple explanations of the findings and why they are important.

Keratoconus Australia Annual General Meeting 2025

Keratoconus Australia held its Annual General Meeting on November 25, 2025.

Keratoconus Australia President, Larry Kornhauser OAM, presented the Association's annual report and financial accounts and a new committee of management was elected.

The Annual report and accounts can be downloaded here

Talking Keratoconus PodcastI

In Episode 2 of her Talking Cornea podcast series, optometrist Lien Trihn interviews Keratoconus Australia President Larry Kornhauser OAM about his life growing up with keratoconus, his work, his struggles with contact lenses and surgeries and how he became involved in supporting others with the disease. Listen now

Also available on Spotify Acast and Apple Podcast

Patients Guide to Crosslinking

The Association's 12 page Patients' Guide to Corneal Crosslinking provides the latest information about corneal collagen crosslinking - the only treatment proven to slow or halt progression in keratoconus.

Download the free booklet now

Tips

  • Avoid eye rubbing allergies and itchy eyes are often associated with keratoconus. Eye rubbing can trigger or worsen keratoconus. Use allergy drops and cold compresses rather than fingers to ease itchy eyes

  • 6-12 monthly reviews Keratoconus is a progressive disease and can advance quickly in adolescents and young adults. Schedule a review with your eye-carer (generally optometrist/contact lens fitter) every 6-12 months. Incorrectly-fitted contact lenses can cause irritation and scarring. Crosslinking may be required to halt further progression.

  • Corneal crosslinking must be done early Corneal crosslinking is the only procedure that can slow of halt progression in keratoconus. But it is more difficult to perform safely on thin corneas. Don't miss the opportunity to have this sight saving operation. See your eye-carer as soon as you notice a change in your vision. Download our Patient Guide to Crosslinking

  • Rinse lens with saline solution and wash your hands Tap water contains all sorts of nasty bacteria that cause serious eye infections. Don't take the risk: use saline solution to rinse your lenses after cleaning them in the evening and to rinse out your contact lens case every morning before drying with a tissue. And wash your hands before handling contact lenses!

  • Emergency spectacles Everyone should have a pair of backup or emergency spectacles if you wear contact lenses. They don't provide perfect vision. But they do enable you to do things around the house, make bathroom trips in the night and avoid wearing lenses in the dry atmosphere of a plane on long trips. Ask your keratoconus specialist optometrist about a pair

  • Treatment and Travel Subsidies The cost of treatments for keratoconus is spiralling out of control. We have compiled a list of state-based funding schemes for vision related treatments  and clinics where these can be found. For regional and remote patients,  travel assistance schemes also exist to subsidise the cost of travel for treatment outside of your local area. Take advantage of these to get the best treatments

  • Patience is a virtue... for both patient and eye-carer  Keratoconus is often frustrating for both patient and their eye-carers. Fitting contact lenses can be very a lengthy and complex process and both parties need to be patient. 3-12 months of trial and error are not uncommon. Also, the right fit is not always possible and surgery does not always yield the desired result.
    Talk to your eye-carers before you start a treatment to understand risks and costs and what will happen if things don't work out as planned.

Living with keratoconus is not always easy. So remember to take time to congratulate yourself and the people you know with keratoconus for getting through another year and celebrate the day.  There are more options to improve your vision and eye health than ever before - next year will be even better!

DONATE

We need your support.

Keratoconus Australia is operated entirely by volunteers and manages on a very small budget. The Association is fully funded from donations. It receives no government funding or corporate sponsorship.

We work to support people with keratoconus and their families and advocate on their behalf. We also contribute to important research into keratoconus being conducted in Australia, notably by the Save Sight Keratoconus Registry.

If you would like to support our Association and its important work, please donate now. You can also organize a fundraiser on our behalf here.

Happy holidays to everyone - Keratoconus Australia is taking a short break until mid-January

A thought for the victims of the Bondi anti-semitic terrorist attack. May this never happen again.

The Keratoconus Australia team