Diagnosis and management of keratoconus by eye care practitioners in Kenya

BACKGROUND: To explore current eye care practice in keratoconus diagnosis and management in Kenya. METHODS: An online questionnaire was distributed to ophthalmic clinical officers (OCO) and optometrists. RESULTS: A total of 203 responses were received from 52 OCOs and 151 optometrists with a response rate of 24.4% and 53.5% respectively. The majority reported having access to retinoscopes (88.5%; p = 0.48) and slit lamps (76.7; p = 0.14). Few practitioners had access to a corneal topographer (13.5%; p = 0.08) and rigid contact lens (CL) fitting sets (OCOs 5.8%, optometrists 33.8%; p < 0.01). One-third did not feel that retinoscopy (38.7%; p = 0.21), slit lamp findings (30.3%; p = 0.10) and corneal topography (36.6%; p = 0.39) are important investigations in keratoconus diagnosis. Corneal topography was not recommended in two-thirds of patients (59.0%; p = 0.33) with vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC). The majority counselled against eye rubbing in mild (73.6%; p = 0.90) VKC, 52.9% in moderate (p = 0.40) and 43.6% in severe (p = 0.24) cases. The majority prescribed spectacles in mild (90.2%; p = 0.95), 29% (p = 0.97) in moderate and 1.9% (p = 0.05) in severe cases. When the binocular best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) with spectacles was ≤ 6/18, 76.9% of OCOs and 58.9% of optometrists referred for CLs (p = 0.02). When binocular BCVA with CLs dropped to ≤ 6/18, 83.7% (p = 0.18) referred to the ophthalmologist for surgical intervention. Few OCOs fitted rigid CLs (15.4% OCOs, 51.0% optometrists; p = 0.01), majority referred to optometrists (82.7% OCOs, 43.7% optometrists; p < 0.01). Progression was monitored in 70.1% (p = 0.11) of mild, 50.9% (p = 0.54) moderate and 25.3% (p = 0.31) advanced cases. Few OCOs (15.4%) performed corneal cross-linking (CXL). A few respondents (5.4%; p = 0.13) did not know when to refer keratoconus patients for CXL. Co-management with ophthalmologists was reported by 58.0% (p = 0.06) of respondents. CONCLUSION: The results of this study highlight the need to map services for keratoconus patients, review current curricula and continuous education priorities for mid-level ophthalmic workers, develop guidelines for the diagnosis and management of keratoconus and improve interdisciplinary collaboration. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12886-023-02792-w.