Cornea and Ocular Surface
Corneal Crosslinking (CXL).
Riboflavin drops and controlled ultraviolet light stiffen the cornea to stop keratoconus getting worse. It halts progression rather than restoring vision already lost, which is why timing matters.
At a glance
- In theatre
- About 60 minutes
- Anaesthetic
- Drops
- Stay
- Day-stay
- Time off
- 3–5 days
- Driving
- About a week
- Price
- from $3,400
You may be a candidate if
- Keratoconus confirmed on corneal mapping
- Scans showing the cornea steepening over time
- Typically teens and twenties, when progression is fastest
Step by step
- 01
Assessment
A full examination with the surgeon who will operate, including scans and measurements. You leave with a written plan and a fixed quote.
- 02
Anaesthetic
Numbing drops.
- 03
The treatment
Riboflavin is applied for around 30 minutes, then UV light for up to 10. A bandage contact lens goes on afterwards.
- 04
Lens removal
The bandage lens comes out at the 3–5 day review.
Recovery
- The first three days are genuinely uncomfortable — plan time off
- Vision dips before it settles, over one to three months
- Drops for several weeks
- Scans repeat at 6 and 12 months to confirm it has held
Also in cornea and ocular surface
- from $3,400
Keratoconus Surgery
When keratoconus has already distorted the cornea, segments implanted within it can flatten the cone and make vision correctable again with glasses or lenses.
- from $3,100
Pterygium Surgery
Removal of the fleshy growth that creeps across the surface of the eye, with a graft to cover the bare area. The graft is what keeps it from growing back.
- from $8,500
Corneal Transplantation
Replacing diseased corneal tissue with donor tissue. Modern technique replaces only the failing layer rather than the full thickness, which heals faster and holds better.
Questions this page did not answer?
Ring us and ask. You will get a surgeon’s answer, not a script.
Demo build — this description is placeholder copy and has not been written or reviewed by a clinician.