Long-term outcomes of tailored stromal expansion with refractive lenticule for crosslinking thin corneas

To assess the long-term safety and stability of visual outcomes following the modified technique of collagen crosslinking (CXL) using refractive lenticule in eyes with thin corneas (<400 µm) and progressive keratoconus.

A tertiary eye care hospital in India.

Prospective, interventional case series.

Eyes with progressive keratoconus and thin corneas (<400 µm) underwent CXL with intraoperative stromal augmentation using a refractive lenticule obtained from small-incision lenticule extraction (SMILE). Preoperative and postoperative evaluation (3 months, and then yearly thereafter) included corneal tomography (Oculus Pentacam), uncorrected and corrected distance visual acuity (UDVA and CDVA, respectively), manifest refraction, and endothelial cell count (specular microscopy), and adverse events, if any, were noted. The patients were followed up for a period of 5 years.

Seven eyes were included in the analysis. Mean corneal flattening of -4.29 D was noted from preoperative maximum keratometry (P = 0.018). An improvement in UDVA and CDVA of 0.38 logarithm of minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) and 0.36 logMAR, respectively, was noted at 5 years postoperative visit. Four eyes demonstrated a gain of two lines in CDVA. Mean spherical equivalent improved from -6.85 D preoperatively to -6.05 D at 5 years postoperatively. Clear demarcation line was noted between 230 to 270 µm on anterior segment optical coherence topography. No significant endothelial cell loss was noted postoperatively.

Long-term outcomes demonstrated safety and disease stability following lenticule-assisted CXL.