Purpose
The aim of this study is to report the preliminary clinical results of transepithelial corneal collagen cross-linking (CXL) with Iontophoresis.
Methods
Ten eyes of ten patients with progressive keratoconus were included in this prospective clinical study. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), sphere and cylinder refraction, corneal topography, scheimpflug tomography, aberrometry, anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) and endothelial cell count were assessed at baseline and at 1, 3 and 6 months of follow up. The parameters considered to establish keratoconus progression always were proved with differential maps as change in curvature in the cone area of at least 1 diopters obtained with an istantaneous map.
Results
Functional parameters showed a significant improvement (p<0.05) of BCVA after 6 months of follow up together with a significant decrease of sphere. Conversely morphological parameters showed a non significant reduction of topographic parameters and a significant increase in minimum pachymetry after 6 months of follow up. None of the patients had continuous progression of keratoconus or had to repeat crosslinking procedures. Endothelial cell counts did not changed significantly (p>0.05).
Conclusions
Despite the low number of patients and a short term follow up our preliminary results on transepithelial corneal collagen cross-linking with iontophoresis indicate a stabilization and a significant improvement of functional parameters till 6 months of follow up after the treatment.
Keywords: 484 cornea: stroma and keratocytes •
479 cornea: clinical science