Characteristics and Prediction Accuracy According to Corneal Stiffness in Suspected Keratoconus.

Background/

Objectives

This study aimed to evaluate the biomechanical characteristics of the cornea to assess their diagnostic accuracy in distinguishing normal eyes from those suspected keratoconus eyes.

Methods

In this cross-sectional study, corneal elevation and curvature radius were measured in 217 participants using Pentacam. Average values were obtained based on the best-fit sphere (BFS) and the enhanced best-fit sphere (EBFS). The biomechanical characteristics of the cornea were assessed using the Corvis ST device. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to determine the diagnostic accuracy.

Results

The radii of the BFS in the anterior and posterior corneas were significantly larger in the normal group compared to the suspected keratoconus group. Conversely, EBFS elevation values in both the anterior and posterior corneas were lower in the normal group. The velocity at which the cornea was first flattened had the highest diagnostic accuracy for identifying suspected keratoconus.

Conclusions

Eyes with suspected keratoconus had a significantly smaller corneal radius on both the anterior and posterior surfaces compared with normal eyes. In addition, due to the increased deformability and reduced resistance to a given force, these parameters serve as valuable biometric indicators for distinguishing suspect eyes from normal eyes.