Could Automated Objective Measurements Acquired at the Preoperative Stage Estimate the Corrected Distance Visual...

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Corneal disease research
• Vision science

Background:

• Keratoconus is a progressive eye condition affecting corneal shape.
• Corneal cross-linking (CXL) is a treatment to halt keratoconus progression.
• Objective markers are needed to predict visual outcomes after CXL.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate objective markers for estimating corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) after CXL in keratoconus.
• To develop a model for predicting CDVA using preoperative corneal measurements.

Main Methods:

• Monitored CDVA, corneal optical density (COD), thinnest corneal thickness (TCT), anterior (ARC), and posterior (PRC) surface radii over 1 year.
• Utilized Pentacam™ for measurements in patients with keratoconus treated with CXL, untreated keratoconus, and controls.

Main Results:

• CXL significantly improved CDVA, increased COD and ARC, and decreased TCT and PRC in treated keratoconus patients.
• Preoperative COD, TCT, ARC, and PRC showed significant correlations with postoperative CDVA.
• Including preoperative CDVA in the model improved the prediction accuracy for 1-year CDVA.

Conclusions:

• CXL effectively improves visual acuity and alters corneal biomechanical properties.
• Preoperative objective measurements can estimate postoperative CDVA in keratoconus patients treated with CXL.
• These objective markers are valuable for predicting visual outcomes when preoperative CDVA is unreliable.