Factors influencing haze formation and corneal flattening, and the impact of haze on visual acuity after conventional collagen cross-linking: a 12-month retrospective study

Clinical, Anatomical, and Densitometric Changes following Dresden vs. Accelerated Corneal Cross-Linking in Progressive Keratoconus

BACKGROUND

To compare clinical, anatomical, and densitometric changes following Dresden (DCXL) vs. accelerated (ACXL) corneal UVA cross-linking (CXL; Avedro KXL, Geuder, Heidelberg, Germany) in progressive keratoconus (KC).

METHODS AND MATERIAL

In this retrospective study, we analyzed 20 patients following DCXL (3 mW/cm², 30 min, 5.4 J/cm²) and 44 patients following ACXL (9 mW/cm², 10 min, 5.4 J/cm²) between January 2016 and February 2020. Uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA), best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BSCVA), central corneal thickness (CCT), steepest keratometry (Kmax), keratoconus index (KI), thinnest pachymetry (Pthin), and corneal densitometry (CD) were measured before and 3, 6, 12, and 24 months after CXL.

RESULTS

During the follow-up period, no changes in UCVA, BSCVA, Kmax, KI, or Pthin occurred. CCT significantly decreased 3 months after DCXL (p = 0.032) and ACXL (p = 0.006). At the 12- and 24-month follow-up, CCT remained decreased in the DCXL (p = 0.035, 0.036, respectively) but not in the ACXL group. At the 12-month follow-up, the reduction in CCT was significantly greater in DCXL compared to ACXL (p = 0.012). At the 3-, 6-, 12-, and 24-month follow-ups, we found a significant increase in the anterior stroma CD following DCXL (p = 0.019, 0.026, 0.049, 0.047, respectively) but not ACXL. The CD changes were localized in the central concentric zones (0.0 to 6.0 mm). No intra- or postoperative complications occurred.

CONCLUSION

ACXL and DCXL effectively halted KC progression. ACXL proved to be a safe time-saving alternative to conventional DCXL. DCXL led to a reduction in CCT and an increment in the CD of the central anterior stroma during 24 months of follow-up.

Visual Acuity Examination Methodology in Keratoconus

Visual acuity is one of the most important parameters for evaluating the vision of patients with keratoconus. This study reviewed 295 articles related to keratoconus published between 2017 and 2022 in which visual acuity was one of the parameters measured. The methodology of visual acuity testing in studies on keratoconus was thoroughly analyzed. The analysis showed that the most commonly indicated chart for testing visual acuity papers on keratoconus is the Snellen chart. It was shown that in 150 out of 295 articles, the authors do not describe the methodology for testing visual acuity. What is more, it was also shown that in 68 of the 295 articles which were analyzed, a procedure for converting visual acuity tested with a Snellen chart into a logMAR scale was used. In this review, we discuss the validity and reliability of such conversions. In particular, we show that insufficient description of visual acuity testing methodology and lack of information on the conversion of visual acuity results into the logMAR scale may contribute to the misinterpretation of visual acuity test results.

Changes in corneal biomechanical parameters in keratoconus eyes with various severities after corneal cross-linking (CXL): A comparative study

OBJECTIVES

To compare changes in corneal biomechanical parameters one year after corneal cross-linking (CXL) in keratoconus (KCN) eyes of different severities.

METHODS

Seventy-five eyes with mild, moderate, and severe grades of KCN (n = 24, 31, and 20 eyes, respectively) that were treated with CXL, based upon the standard Dresden protocol, were included. The corneal biomechanical assessment was performed using Corvis ST and Ocular Response Analyzer (ORA). Changes in Corvis's dynamic corneal response (DCR) parameters and ORA's derived parameters (corneal hysteresis (CH), and corneal resistance factor (CRF)) were assessed whilst the corneal thickness and intraocular pressure were considered as covariates.

RESULTS

There was no statistically significant difference in the corneal biomechanical parameters obtained using both devices after surgery separately in different KCN grades, except for the deformation amplitude (DA) in the severe KCN group (P = 0.017). Changes in the classic parameters of the highest concavity phase of Corvis ST (peak distance, radius, and DA) were more positive and in the newer parameters (integrated inverse radius (IIR), deformation amplitude ratio (DAR)) more negative in the severe group compared to the other groups. Also, the mean change in CH (P = 0.710), and CRF (P = 0.565), showed a negative shift in higher grades of KCN; however, there was no significant difference in the mean changes of all parameters between different groups. (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Similar changes in the Corvis ST and ORA parameters in mild, moderate, and severe KCN indicate biomechanical stability and the effective role of CXL in stopping the progressive nature of keratoconus in eyes of varying severities one year after CXL.

TFOS Lifestyle: Impact of elective medications and procedures on the ocular surface

The word "elective" refers to medications and procedures undertaken by choice or with a lower grade of prioritization. Patients usually use elective medications or undergo elective procedures to treat pathologic conditions or for cosmetic enhancement, impacting their lifestyle positively and, thus, improving their quality of life. However, those interventions can affect the homeostasis of the tear film and ocular surface. Consequently, they generate signs and symptoms that could impair the patient's quality of life. This report describes the impact of elective topical and systemic medications and procedures on the ocular surface and the underlying mechanisms. Moreover, elective procedures performed for ocular diseases, cosmetic enhancement, and non-ophthalmic interventions, such as radiotherapy and bariatric surgery, are discussed. The report also evaluates significant anatomical and biological consequences of non-urgent interventions to the ocular surface, such as neuropathic and neurotrophic keratopathies. Besides that, it provides an overview of the prophylaxis and management of pathological conditions resulting from the studied interventions and suggests areas for future research. The report also contains a systematic review investigating the quality of life among people who have undergone small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE). Overall, SMILE refractive surgery seems to cause more vision disturbances than LASIK in the first month post-surgery, but less dry eye symptoms in long-term follow up.