Effect of Corneal CXL With Riboflavin and Ultraviolet Light on Keratoconus in Bahrain
Purpose
To study the efficacy of collagen crosslinking procedure with riboflavin/ultraviolet A on corneas of keratoconus subjects.
Methods
In a prospective study in an outpatient setting, 244 eyes of 132 patients underwent the procedure between 2009 and 2012. Keratoconus was diagnosed based on corneal topography, and clinical signs. All patients underwent corneal topography, measurement of best corrected visual acuity, corneal pachymetry, keratometry, IOP, and dilated fundal examination. Exclusion criteria were patients with pachymetry < 400 um, patients with Kmax > 58 D and those with visual acuity less than 0.5. Results were reported at 95% confidence interval. Paired student t test was used to compare pre and post operative results.
Results
Follow-up range was between 18 and 24 months. There was an improvement in best corrected visual acuity in 48% of patients by 1.82D. ( p<0.001) Postoperative reduction in maximum K was 2.1 D in 55% of patients. ( p<0.001) All other patients had stable K reading, and none had increase in K. There were no complications and no changes in IOP.
Conclusion
This study demonstrated the role of collagen cross-linking and UVA in preventing keratoconus progression. The results are promising for reduction the need for keratoplasty for keratoconus population in Kingdom of Bahrain.