Posters

The prevalence of keratoconus among Saudi adults in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Poster Details

First Author: T.Almudhaiyan SAUDI ARABIA

Co Author(s): A. Alhamzah   M. Alshareef   A. Alotaibi   F. Alruwaili   M. Taha   F. Alfardan     

Abstract Details

Purpose:

To determine the prevalence and associated risk factors for keratoconus (KC) in the Saudi population.

Setting:

In a Shopping mall in the center of Riyadh city.

Methods:

This cross-sectional study enrolled healthy adult Saudi subjects between the ages of 20-40 participated for screening at a shopping mall. Subjects  were excluded if they had corneal or ocular pathology other than KC, a history of ocular surgery or trauma and contact lenses wear within 7 days of data collection. All participants underwent bilateral corneal topography and auto refraction. Keratoconus was defined and staged based on the Amsler-Krumeich criteria by two cornea specialists. Statistical analysis was performed to determine an association of KC with age, gender, and geographic location. A P value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results:

A total of 430 volunteers (768 eyes) with a mean age of 29 ± 5.8 years were included. Over half 225 (56.3%)  the participants from the central region.Forty-six individuals had keratoconus indicating a prevalence of 9.89%. In the keratoconus group, the mean flat K was 44.61±2.04 D, mean steep K was 47.83±3.07 D and astigmatism was 2.17±1.93 D. KC was significantly associated with positive family history of the disease (P <0.0001). The highest distribution of keratoconus was in the central region (55.6%).However, there was no statistically significant association between the distribution of KC and local regions (P= 0.042)

Conclusions:

The prevalence of keratoconus in Saudi Arabia was much higher than reported in other parts of the world. This may be related to a combination of genetic and environmental factors. A positive family history, was a significant predictor of keratoconus. The results of this study indicate the need for public health outreach programs and aggressive intervention to manage keratoconus.

Financial Disclosure:

None