on the net
This site offers useful information on keratoconus

When television actor Robert Gavin was diagnosed with keratoconus at age 26, he was initially dismayed at the lack of information, resources and support available to keratoconus patients. But Gavin didn't stay discouraged for long. In 1999, he founded the Center for Keratoconus, which has grown into an international, nonprofit organization dedicated to keratoconus research, education and patient advocacy.

The focal point of the organization's efforts is its Web site, www.kcenter.org, a comprehensive, interactive, easy-to-navigate site that touches on every aspect of keratoconus and the treatment options available to patients. The amount of useful information and commentary offered is impressive. Within the site, one can locate a nearby doctor, get an answer to a question, learn about current clinical trials related to keratoconus, read the personal experiences of keratoconus patients who've undergone corneal transplants or tried various types of contact lenses, and join a message board discussion involving patients who have been newly diagnosed with this condition.

Gavin estimates that more than 3,600 registered members, almost all of them keratoconus patients, are posting their thoughts and reading the message boards regularly. And the Center for Keratoconus free e-mail list currently numbers about 10,000 subscribers.

Because of Gavin's work, the Center for Keratoconus has been able to form a medical and scientific advisory team made up of physicians from leading universities and medical centers. The doctors provide professional direction to the Web site and will answer general questions posted on the site by keratoconus patients.

"There's no longer any reason for keratoconus patients to suffer alone," says Gavin. "The Internet allows us to connect with each other, share information, cry on each other's shoulders and work together toward treating and curing our disease."

Visit: www.kcenter.org

If you've discovered a Web site or service that's been useful to you in practice or at home, we'd like to know about it. E-mail Jerry Helzner at helznergi@boucher1.com or call him at (215) 643-8013.