ABSTRACT
Objectives: To evaluate corneal changes as measured by Pentacam before and after transepithelial corneal collagen cross-linking in cases of Keratoconus
Study design: A prospective consecutive case series study carried out at a private lasik centre
Patients and Methods: 74 eyes of 50 patients with progressive keratoconus underwent transepithelial [Epi-on] CXL using both ParaCel[TM] and vibeX-Xtra
Baseline examination included: Full ocular examination, uncorrected visual acuity [UCVA], best corrected visual acuity [BCVA], corneal topography using Pentacam[TM] to determine; flat corneal curvature [K1], steep corneal curvature [K2], mean corneal curvature [Km], corneal astigmatism, corneal thickness at the thinnest location and posterior surface elevation at the highest point in the central 5 mm. The follow-up visits were scheduled on 3 and 6 months after treatment by checking the BCVA, PentacamTM
Results: Our results showed an improvements in BCVA at the end of the 6[th] month post operative that showed an increase from 0.48 to 0.54 and this was statistically significant [P value 0.007] [<0.01], Pentacam topographic changes were found to be decreased postoperatively and were found to be statistically insignificant
Conclusion: In this study, with a follow-up for 6 months, we found the transepithelial corneal collagen cross-linking is beneficial and safe for patients with keratoconus. Transepithelial CXL treatment appeared to halt keratoconus progression, with a statistically significant improvement in visual acuity by stabilizing or partially reversing the keratectasia process