EFFICACY OF TRANSEPITHELIAL ACCELERATED COLLAGEN CROSS LINKING IN STOPPING THE PROGRESSION OF KERATOCONUS.

BACKGROUND

Keratoconus is a progressive ectatic disease of the cornea leading to central corneal thinning, protrusion and permanent visual impairment in untreated cases. It is affecting young children with strong association to vernal keratoconjunctivitis a common disease of Asian countries. Corneal collagen cross linkage (CXL) is standard procedure to stop progression of keratoconus. In this research article we used trans-epithelial accelerated corneal cross-linking to check its efficacy in stopping the progression of disease as quick and safe procedure with less chances of complication than standard CXL protocol.

METHODS

The study was carried out in Khyber Teaching Hospital from November 2022-October 2023. The sample size calculated was 36 with sampling technique of non-probability consecutive convenience sampling method.

RESULTS

The mean age of the patients was 19.157±3.53 years. Post corneal cross-linking, at 6 months follow-up showed that in 94.44% of the patients, no progression of keratoconus was noted. Improvement in vision was recorded in 44.44% of patients. A positive correlation was detected between pre- and post-treatment patients in visual acuity, keratometry and pachymetry.

CONCLUSIONS

The trans-epithelial accelerated corneal collagen crosslinking is a safe and quick procedure for stopping the progression of keratoconus associated with less morbidity and complications.