Evaluation of Corneal Stroma Demarcation Line After Accelerated Corneal CXL by Using Optical Coherence Tomography and Confocal Microscopy
Purpose
To evaluate the depth of the corneal stroma demarcation line using AS-OCT and confocal microscopy after accelerated corneal collagen crosslinking in patients with progressive keratoconus
Methods
Seventeen eyes (17 patients; 10 male, 7 female) with progressive keratoconus were enrolled. Avedro CXL (Avedro Inc, Boston , USA) device was applied UVA light with an intended irradiance of 4 minutes at a power of 30 mW/cm2 (total surface dose of 7.2 J/cm2). One month postoperatively, corneal stroma demarcation line was measured by using AS OCT (Visante OCT, Carl Zeiss Meditec, California, USA) and confocal microscopy (ConfoScan 4, Nidek Technologies, Padova, Italy).
Results
Mean age of the patients was 24,58±4,06 years. The preoperative mean keratometry, apex keratometry and central corneal thickness values were 48.22 ±1.68 D, 57.58 ± 4.17 and 443.47±25.91 μm respectively. The mean corneal stroma demarcation line depth was 194.29±16.94 µm measured with AS OCT and 196.47±17.20 µm with confocal microscopy. There was a no statistically significant difference in the corneal stroma demarcation line depths measured with both AS OCT and confocal microscopy (p= 0.788).
Conclusion
Both AS OCT and confocal microscopy have similar results in evaluating the depth of the corneal stromal demarcation line after accelerated corneal collagen crosslinking.