Abstract
Purpose:
To compare the occurrence of a demarcation line after corneal cross-linking (CXL) for keratoconus using two different protocols (standard versus rapid protocol with higher intensity and shorter irradiation time).
Methods:
A retrospective analysis on an interventional case series of 119 progressive keratoconus eyes treated with CXL using the standard Dresden protocol (30min irradiation, 3mW/cm2, UV-XTM 1000) or a rapid protocol (10min irradiation, 9 mW/cm2, UV-XTM 2000) was performed. The presence of a corneal demarcation line was assessed with anterior segment OCT (Heidelberg Spectralis) one month after treatment by a masked observer.
Results:
In the standard protocol group, 65% (58/89) of treated corneas revealed a demarcation line one month after cross-linking, whereas such a demarcation line was observed in only 20% (6/30) of eyes treated with rapid protocol.
Conclusions:
Increasing UV intensity and reducing irradiation time for CXL has a negative effect on the occurrence of the demarcation line one month after the procedure. Further studies are needed to evaluate the effect on keratoconus progression.
Keywords: 574 keratoconus •
479 cornea: clinical science •
484 cornea: stroma and keratocytes