Bradford S, Luo S, Brown D, Juhasz T, Jester J. A review of the epithelial and stromal effects of corneal collagen crosslinking.
Ocul Surf 2023;
30:150-159. [PMID:
37683969 PMCID:
PMC10993773 DOI:
10.1016/j.jtos.2023.09.003]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Revised: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023]
Abstract
Induced corneal collagen crosslinking and mechanical stiffening via ultraviolet-A photoactivation of riboflavin (UVA CXL) is now a common treatment for corneal ectasia and Keratoconus. Some effects of the procedure such as induced mechanical stiffening, corneal flattening, and cellular toxicity are well-known, but others remain more controversial. Authors report a variety of contradictory effects, and provide evidence based on individual results and observations. A full understanding of the effects of and mechanisms behind this procedure are essential to predicting its outcome. A growing interest in modifications to the standard UVA CXL protocol, such as transepithelial or accelerated UVA CXL, makes analyzing the literature as a whole more urgent. This review presents an analysis of both the agreed-upon and contradictory results reported and the various methods used to obtain them.
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