Accelerated corneal collagen cross-linking in clinical management of infectious keratitis

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of corneal collagen cross-linking (CXL) in the treatment of infectious corneal diseases. METHODS: This study retrospectively analyzed the clinical efficacy of CXL in 65 eyes with infectious keratitis in Jinan Second People’s Hospital from December 2016 to June 2018. During 6 months of follow-up after CXL treatment, the results of confocal microscopy and anterior segment optical coherence tomography, as well as visual acuity and corneal biomechanical parameters, were recorded in detail. RESULTS: In general, the overall cure rate was 93.85%; no corneal endothelial dysfunction was encountered in any patients. After 6 months of follow-up, the visual acuity of cured patients was significantly enhanced, while corneal thickness was significantly reduced. Hyphae growth of patients with fungal keratitis was completely inhibited at 1 month postoperatively. Furthermore, corneal biomechanical parameters (i.e., central corneal thickness, deformation amplitude, and pachymetry intraocular pressure) were significantly improved after surgery, compared with baseline measurements. CONCLUSION: Accelerated CXL may be an effective adjuvant treatment for infectious keratitis.