Clinical efficacy of ultraviolet corneal collagen crosslinking in keratoconus
Aim. To analyze functional results of ultraviolet (UV) crosslinking in keratoconus treatment. Materials and methods. 22 patients (25 eyes) aged 20-31 with keratoconus stage I-III were enrolled. Ophthalmic examination (uncorrected visual acuity/UCVA, best corrected visual acuity/BCVA, refractometry, keratometry, corneal pachymetry, and corneal topography) was performed 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months after the surgery. The patients were observed for 8.25 months (on average). Pre-operatively, UCVA was 0.41±0.36, BCVA was 0.57±0.26, corneal refractive power was 48.28±3.5 D, corneal astigmatism was 5.69±3.7 D, radius of curvature was 7.05±0.55, central corneal thickness was 471.88±41.25 pm. Results. Post-operatively, UCVA increased to 0.53±0.4, BCVA increased to 0.74±0.28, corneal refractive power decreased to 46.44±2.2 D, corneal astigmatism decreased to 4.69±3.1 D, radius of curvature was 7.31±0.39 mm, central corneal thickness was 459.86±43.60 pm. Corneal topography demonstrated that keratoconus stage was less than pre-operatively or the same. Conclusions. UV crosslinking is a safe and effective keratoconus treatment to improve corneal strength, to halt keratoconus progression, and to improve functional outcomes. Financial disclosure: Authors have no financial or property interests related to this article. The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.