Visual and Refractive Long-Term Outcomes Following Standard Cross-Linking in Progressive Keratoconus Management.

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Corneal Surgery
• Refractive Surgery

Background:

• Keratoconus (KC) is a progressive corneal ectasia leading to vision impairment.
• Standard cross-linking (SCXL) is a common treatment for halting KC progression.
• Long-term outcomes of SCXL in KC management require further analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness and stability of SCXL in managing keratoconus.
• To analyze refractive, topographic, and visual outcomes over a five-year follow-up.
• To assess the impact of SCXL on halting KC progression.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective, non-comparative study of 28 KC patients (49 eyes).
• SCXL performed as a single procedure for KC treatment.
• Data collected preoperatively and at 12, 24, 36, and 60 months postoperatively.

Main Results:

• Significant improvement in uncorrected and corrected distant visual acuity (P<0.0001).
• Stable and significant reduction in maximal keratometry (Kmax) and spherical equivalent (SE) refraction (P<0.0001).
• 81.6% of eyes achieved better postoperative SE refraction than attempted; only 4% showed progression.

Conclusions:

• SCXL demonstrates good effectiveness and stability in halting KC progression over 5 years.
• Unexpected improvements in refractive components, particularly spherical and SE, were observed.
• SCXL is a safe and effective treatment for long-term keratoconus management.