Contact lens fitting relation and visual acuity in keratoconus

The presence of visual decrement in keratoconus is widely recognized, but little is known about the effect of different contact lens fitting philosophies on visual acuity. We studied 10 eyes with keratoconus, each of which was tested with an automated visual acuity device while wearing rigid contact lenses of varying base curves and diameters. Lenses used were large, flat lenses and small, steep lenses, fitted from 0.4 mm flatter to 0.4 mm steeper than the average keratometric measurement in 0.1-mm increments, including parallel to the average corneal curvature. A small improvement in visual acuity was noted with the flat lenses, equalling approximately one-half line of visual acuity, which, although statistically significant, was not deemed to be clinically significant. In addition, a decrement in visual acuity of keratoconus patients with centrally placed cones was noted and is discussed.