Biometric evaluation of keratoconic eyes with slit lamp-adapted optical coherence tomography.

PURPOSE: To evaluate slit lamp-adapted optical coherence tomography for morphological imaging and morphometrical measurements in keratoconic eyes.

METHODS

Using slit lamp-adapted optical coherence tomography, we examined 32 eyes of 20 consecutive patients with keratoconus and described morphological attributes of the cornea. Furthermore, in a subgroup of 19 eyes, we measured morphometrical values of the cornea and compared these values with those of an age-matched control group of 19 normal eyes.

RESULTS

Of the 32 keratoconic eyes, 23 eyes had marked corneal thinning of less than 450 μm, 18 eyes had central stromal scarring, and 3 eyes had intrastromal cysts from acute hydrops formation. Central corneal thickness was measured as 374 ± 106 μm in the group of 19 keratoconic eyes, compared with 503 ± 127 μm in the control group (P < 0.05); anterior chamber depth was 3.6 ± 0.4 mm versus 3.1 ± 0.4 mm (P < 0.05); anterior curvature mean radius was 7.2 ± 1.2 mm versus 8.6 ± 1.0 mm (P < 0.05); posterior radius was 5.5 ± 0.7 mm versus 6.8 ± 0.7 mm (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides further validation that anterior segment optical coherence tomography is a reliable method to assess important parameters for diagnosis and therapeutic outcome control of patients with keratoconus. This method may be particularly useful as a safe and well-defined preoperative diagnostic tool before keratoplasty or corneal cross-linking.