Refractive, Topographic, Tomographic, and Aberrometric Analysis of Keratoconic Eyes Undergoing Corneal Cross-Linking

Purpose: To report refractive, topographic, tomographic, and aberrometric outcomes 12 months after corneal cross-linking (CXL) in eyes with progressive advanced keratoconus. Design: Prospective, nonrandomized, single-center clinical study. Participants: Twenty-eight eyes undergoing CXL between April and June 2006. Intervention: Riboflavin-ultraviolet A (UVA)-induced CXL included instillation of 0.1% riboflavin-20% dextrane solution 30 minutes before UVA irradiation and every 5 minutes for an additional 30 minutes during irradiation. Main Outcome Measures: Uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA), best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BSCVA), sphere and cylinder refraction, topography, tomography, aberrometry, and endothelial cell count were evaluated at baseline and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months follow-up. Results: Mean baseline UCVA and BSCVA were 0.17±0.09 and 0.52±0.17, respectively; 12-month mean UCVA and BSCVA were 0.27±0.08 and 0.72±0.16, a statistically significant difference (P3 from baseline values of 490.68±30.69 μm and 59.37±4.36 mm³, respectively. Endothelial cell counts did not changed significantly (P = 0.13). Conclusions: Corneal cross-linking seems to be effective in improving UCVA and BSCVA in eyes with progressive keratoconus by significantly reducing corneal APP, AK, and corneal and total wavefront aberrations at 1 year postoperatively. Financial Disclosure(s): The authors have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article.