Corneal topography in preterm children aged 2 years to 12 years with or without retinopathy of prematurity

Corneal Endothelial Morphology and Ocular Biometric Indexes in Premature Children With and Without Retinopathy of Prematurity

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to analyze human corneal endothelial cells (HCECs) morphology and ocular biometrics in premature (PM) children with or without retinopathy of prematurity (ROP).

Methods

Retrospective data on patient demographics, HCECs status, and ocular biometrics with at least 2 visits between 2016 and 2021 were reviewed. The main outcomes were endothelial cell density (ECD), coefficient of variation (CV), hexagonal cell ratio (HEX), central corneal thickness (CCT), axial length, anterior chamber depth, keratometry, corneal diameter, pupil diameter, and refraction status. Generalized estimating equation was used to evaluate the differences between PM no-ROP and ROP groups. We also analyzed the trend of ECD, CV, HEX, and CCT change with age between groups.

Results

The study included 173 PM patients without ROP and 139 patients with ROP. A total of 666 and 544 measurements were recorded in the PM no-ROP and ROP groups, respectively. The ROP group had higher spherical power, myopic spherical equivalent (SE), and steeper steep keratometry (K; P < 0.05). The ROP group had higher CV (P = 0.0144), lower HEX (P = 0.0012) and thicker CCT (P = 0.0035). In the HCECs parameters, the ROP group had slower ECD decrement (P < 0.0001), faster CV decrement (P = 0.0060), and faster HEX increment (P = 0.0001). A difference in corneal morphology changes between the ROP and PM no-ROP groups were prominent in patients with lower gestational age (GA) in the subgroup analysis.

Conclusions

Worse HCECs morphology and higher myopic status were initially observed in patients with prior ROP but not in PM patients with no-ROP. ECD and HCECs morphology improved with age, especially in patients with low GA.

Do intravitreal anti-VEGF injections have an effect on corneal endothelial remodeling in children with premature retinopathy?

PURPOSE

This study was carried out to investigate the effects of retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) and intravitreal antivascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) injections on the corneal endothelium in the childhood period of patients who have had ROP.

METHODS

The material of comparative case-control clinical study consisted of patients followed up with ROP between February 2013 and February 2023. The eyes in the study group were divided into two subgroups consisting of those who received intravitreal anti-VEGF injections (subgroup 1) and those who were followed up only (subgroup 2). Central corneal endothelial cell density (ECD), coefficient of variation (CV), central corneal thickness (CCT), and pleomorphism parameters in the childhood period were evaluated by corneal specular microscopy and compared with age-matched healthy control subjects.

RESULTS

There were 84 eyes of 42 patients with ROP in the study group and 80 eyes of 40 healthy children in the control group. Mean CCT was significantly higher in subgroup 1 and the control group than in subgroup 2 (p = 0.037), and mean ECD was significantly higher in subgroup 2 than in subgroup 1 and the control group (p < 0.001). There was no significant difference between subgroup 1 and the control group in mean ECD and CCT values (p = 1.000 for both cases).

CONCLUSIONS

Considering that ROP patients who received intravitreal anti-VEGF injections had more advanced-stage ROP than ROP patients who were followed up only, these findings suggest that intravitreal anti-VEGF applications in ROP cases may lead to corneal endothelial parameters similar to those of healthy eyes.

Association of torpedo maculopathy and keratoconus in a young patient: A multimodal imaging study

PURPOSE

To report and document a case of torpedo maculopathy found in a patient affected by keratoconus.Case report: An healthy 16-year-old male patient, affected by keratoconus in both eyes, was referred to the cornea service of our hospital for a follow-up visit.During the dilated fundus examination of the left eye, an oval, well-demarcated, hypopigmented lesion was observed in the juxtafoveal temporal region, pointing towards the center of the macula. Multimodal imaging of the lesion was performed, and the diagnosis of Torpedo Maculopathy was established based on the clinical picture.

CONCLUSION

This is the first case of torpedo maculopathy described in a patient affected by keratoconus. This association may be merely fortuitous or the result of developmental abnormalities affecting both corneal and retinal structures.