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Central and peripheral corneal thinning in keratoconus.
Rune L Brautaset1, Maria Nilsson, William L Miller
1Unit of Optometry, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Cornea
|May 8, 2012
Summary
Keratoconus (KC) thins the entire cornea, not just the central area. This study found reduced corneal thickness in KC patients, suggesting a pancorneal disease affecting all corneal layers.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Corneal Disease Research
Background:
- Histopathological data suggest keratoconus (KC) affects the peripheral cornea.
- Previous studies primarily focused on central corneal changes in KC.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate clinical evidence of peripheral corneal changes in KC patients.
- To measure and compare central and peripheral corneal thickness in KC and control subjects.
Main Methods:
- Corneal pachymetry was performed using Visante optical coherence tomography and Orbscan II.
- The study included 26 KC patients and 26 age- and sex-matched controls.
Main Results:
- KC patients exhibited significantly reduced corneal thickness in all measured areas compared to controls.
- Both Visante OCT and Orbscan II confirmed widespread corneal thinning in KC.
Conclusions:
- Clinical findings support KC as a pancorneal disease, affecting the entire cornea.
- While central ectasia shows the most significant thinning, peripheral thinning is also present in KC.
- KC pathology extends beyond the visibly ectatic region, indicating a broader corneal involvement.
