EVALUATION OF SCLERAL THICKNESS IN KERATOCONUS PATIENTS
Published 2022 - 26th ESCRS Winter Meeting
Reference: P135 | Type: Abstracts | DOI: 10.82333/537f-mz83
Authors: Mukaddes Damla Ciftci* 1 , Cumali Degirmenci 1 , Melis Palamar 1
1Ophthalmology,Ege University,Izmir,Türkiye
Purpose
Keratoconus is a noninflammatory, progressive disease that causes corneal thinning and irregular astigmatism. Its etiology has not been fully elucidated. Family history is present in 6-8% of patients. Although it is usually an isolated pathology, it can sometimes be seen together with systemic disorders such as Down syndrome and atopy. Connective tissue diseases such as mitral valve prolapse, Marfan syndrome, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome can also accompany keratoconus. This suggests the role of collagen tissue in the pathogenesis of the disease. Optic coherence tomography (OCT) is a non-invasive imaging method that allows two-dimensional, high-resolution imaging of ocular tissues. Anterior segment optic coherence tomography (AS-OCT) allows visualization of corneal layers, anterior chamber, iris and iridocorneal angle details.The aim of this study is to evaluate the scleral thickness of keratoconus patients with AS-OCT.
Setting
The study was conducted with consecutive keratoconus patients who came to Ege University Department of Ophthalmology for their routine controls from March to May 2021. Control group consisted of 36 healthy volunteers.
Methods
The right eyes of 36 patients diagnosed with keratoconus (Group 1) and the right eyes of 36 healthy volunteers (Group 2), who were matched in terms of age, gender and axial length, were included in the study. Following a detailed ophthalmological examination in both groups, as the method described by Imanaga et al. scleral thickness measurements were taken with AS-OCT 6 mm behind the scleral spur in 4 viewing positions as superior, temporal, nasal and inferior. Statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS software version 28.0 and the Mann-Whitney U test.
Results
There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of age, gender and axial length. Inferior quadrant scleral thickness measurements were statistically significantly thinner in Group 1 compared to Group 2 (417.44±24.48 vs 436.69±23.04 µm; p<0.01). There was no statistically significant difference between the 2 groups in the superior (407.30±31.79 vs 417.38±27.36 µm; p=0.1), temporal (407,16±36.23 vs 414.50±262.8 µm; p=0.17) and nasal (421.94±25.27 vs 430.77±26.86 µm; p=0.06) quadrants.
Conclusion
Although the pathogenesis of keratoconus is not known exactly, it is known that the bonds between collagen fibers are destroyed. Considering that the basic building block of the cornea and sclera is collagen, it seems possible that the sclera is also affected by this progressive process. A larger number of cases should be evaluated in future studies.