134: THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CXL IN THE TREATMENT OF KERATOCONUS

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Keratoconus is characterized by corneal ectasia and irregular astigmatism, which can lead to diminished vision and corneal scarring. Keratoconus is a condition that causes corneal ectasia and reduced vision in young adults. A proportion of these patients have progressive disease requiring corneal transplantation. METHODS: The databases searched included OVID MEDLINE, MEDLINE IN-Process and other Non-Indexed Citations such as EMBASE with keyword Keratoconus and Corneal cross-linking. RESULTS: Rocha KM and et al. (2014) funded that Epithelial thickness standard deviations were significantly lower 3 months after CXL, compared to ranges before CXL in both the vertical and horizontal meridians for keratoconus and ectasia (P=0.048). No significant differences were found between epithelial remodeling in keratoconus and corneal ectasia (P=0.98). No significant or consistent stromal changes were found for either group. Cınar and et al. (2013) funded that Flat keratometry, steep keratometry, mean keratometry and maximum keratometry were significantly reduced at the 6th month after CXL (p=0.025, p<0.001, p=0.004 and p=0.03, respectively). Thinnest corneal thickness (TCT) and endothelial cell density (ECD) were not changed significantly the 6th month after CXL (p=0.135 and p=0.082, respectively). Brooks NO and et al. (2012) funded that After CXL, patients noted subjective improvement in visual symptoms, specifically night driving, difficulty reading, diplopia, glare, halo, starbursts, and foreign-body sensation. CONCLUSION: Significantly fewer corneal transplants were performed for treating keratoconus following the nationwide introduction of CXL. This reduction suggests that corneal cross-linking can significantly reduce the need for corneal transplantation. CXL represents a new treatment that uniquely allows the halt of progression of keratoconus, thus preventing visual loss and the need for surgical intervention.