Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 23, 2025
07:29
Three Different Protocols of Corneal Collagen Crosslinking in Keratoconus: Conventional, Accelerated and Iontophoresis
Published on: November 12, 2015
19.8K
Epithelial Mapping Efficacy for Subclinical Keratoconus Identification
Barbara A L Dutra1, Bassel Hammoud2, Bianca N Susanna3
1From the Cleveland Clinic (B.A.D., B.H., B.N.S., L.A., W.J.D., J.B.R.), Cole Eye Institute, Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Department of Ophthalmology (B.A.D., B.N.S.), University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
American Journal of Ophthalmology
|March 8, 2025
Summary
Automated epithelial thickness mapping is not effective for identifying subclinical keratoconus (SKC). Stromal thickness measurements are more sensitive for detecting early signs of keratoconus (KC) in patients.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Corneal Imaging
- Disease Detection
Background:
- Subclinical keratoconus (SKC) represents an early stage of keratoconus (KC).
- Accurate detection of SKC is crucial for timely intervention and preventing vision loss.
- Current diagnostic methods may have limitations in identifying early disease stages.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the diagnostic utility of automated epithelial thickness metrics.
- To compare epithelial thickness patterns in normal controls, SKC, and manifest KC.
- To determine if epithelial mapping can identify subclinical keratoconus.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective cross-sectional study of 200 eyes (100 controls, 50 SKC, 50 KC).
- Epithelial mapping using anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT).
- Analysis of epithelial thickness patterns and comparison with stromal thickness and Scheimpflug metrics.
Main Results:
- No significant differences in regional epithelial thickness between control and SKC groups.
- Superonasal-inferotemporal epithelial thickness difference showed limited discriminative ability (AUROC=0.68).
- Stromal thickness values were significantly different between SKC and control groups.
Conclusions:
- Epithelial thickness patterns are ineffective as a primary metric for identifying subclinical keratoconus.
- Stromal thickness measurements and Scheimpflug metrics significantly outperform epithelial metrics for SKC detection.
- Epithelial mapping shows limited sensitivity for early keratoconus detection.
