Posters

The impact of vernal keratoconjunctivitis on the short term outcomes of accelerated corneal collagen cross-linking in paediatric keratoconus

Poster Details

First Author: Y.Gupta INDIA

Co Author(s):    N. Sharma   J. Titiyal   P. Maharana   R. Sinha   T. Aggarwal        

Abstract Details

Purpose:

: This study evaluated the effect of vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC) on outcomes of accelerated corneal collagen cross-linking (ACXL) in paediatric keratoconus (KC)

Setting:

Tertiary care hospital out-patient department

Methods:

Prospective, interventional cohort study including progressive KC aged <18 years, divided into two groups (VKC and non-VKC) and underwent ACXL ( 30mW/cm2). Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), manifest cylinder, maximum keratometry (Kmax), thinnest corneal thickness (thCT) and corneal higher order aberrations (HOA) preoperatively and postoperatively at 12 months were the main outcome measures

Results:

50 eyes of 35 patients (VKC: 64%; Non-VKC: 36%) with a mean age of 14 ± 3 years. VKC cases had steeper cones (Kmax: 62.6 ± 11.3 D versus 56 ± 5.7 D, p = 0.02), younger mean age (p=0.04), more advanced presentation (46.8% versus 16.7% in stage 3 or 4, p < 0.005) and similar thCT (425.2 ± 48.7 versus 442.7 ± 39.7 µm, p = 0.2). One year after ACXL, both groups showed similar improvement in Kmax (p = 0.5), BCVA (p = 0.9), cylinder (p = 0.5) and HOA (p = 0.18). Halting of progression was noted in both the groups at one year after ACXL.

Conclusions:

We found that the presence of VKC did not affect the success of ACXL, when evaluated in terms of the topographic, visual, pachymetric, refractive and aberrometric outcomes of AXCL. Adequately controlled VKC has no effect on short-term outcomes of ACXL and stabilizes the progression in paediatric KC associated with VKC.

Financial Disclosure:

None