Abstract
Purpose :
Superior Limbic Keratoconjunctivitis (SLK) is uncommon and usually overlooked. This retrospective study on a group of Chinese patients with SLK aimed to summarize its clinical features and evaluate the prognosis with eye drops.
Methods :
One hundred and eighty nine patients (375 eyes, the most up to date) with SLK were recorded from Mar. 2016 to Oct. 2018 at the Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center in Guangzhou, China. Relevant demographics data and ocular findings were collected and analyzed. The Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) was used to evaluate the symptoms of each patient. A scoring system based on the patients’ five ocular signs (superior conjunctival hyperemia, conjunctivochalasis, superior limbic lesion, cornea lesion and superior tarsal conjunctival alteration) (Sign Index of SLK, SIS) was established and applied to evaluate SLK severity.
Results :
Of the 189 patients, 110 (58.20%) were females. The age range of patients was from 13 to 81 years, with an average of 43.53±13.56 years. At the first presentation, common complains included dry eyes (112 patients, 59.26%), foreign body sensation (68, 35.98%), pain (54, 28.57%), photophobia (42, 22.22%), itching (39, 20.63%), and burning sensation (27, 14.28%). The five ocular signs were common ocular findings, which were consistent with previous reports. The SIS of five signs is not associated with OSDI and the patients’ ages. Sixteen of 83 patients (19.28%) who had thyroid examination displayed abnormal results. In addition, lesions at inferior limbus, which were not reported in previous reports, was found in 150 eyes (40.00%). The appearance of inferior limbic lesions in SLK patients showed a significant higher SIS than those patients without this lesion (p<0.01). There were 78 patients with 154 eyes that were followed by treatment with eye drops within 6 months. Of them, 145 (94.2%) eyes were remitted or cured.
Conclusions :
We summarized the characteristics of SLK patients and established a scoring system for evaluation this disease. The outcome of this study will be clinically significant and aid in the prevention and early treatment of the disease.
This abstract was presented at the 2019 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Vancouver, Canada, April 28 - May 2, 2019.