Corneal cross-linking for treatment of progressive keratoconus in a patient with Alport syndrome: A case report

Abstract

Purpose: Ocular features of Alport syndrome include anterior lenticonus, posterior polymorphous corneal dystrophy, and fleck-and-dot retinopathy in most cases. Keratoconus in such patients has been rarely mentioned in previous studies. To our knowledge, this is the first report of corneal cross-linking for halting the progression of keratoconus in a patient with Alport syndrome. Case report: A 22-year-old male was referred for his initial corneal topography, after he was already prescribed with rigid gas-permeable contact lenses. Alport syndrome was diagnosed in his infancy and gene COL4A5 mutation was confirmed. Ophthalmological evaluation confirmed keratoconus. One-year follow-up showed a progression on his right eye and standard corneal cross-linking was performed. Stabilization of the disease marked by normalization in visual function and corneal tomography values was noticed 1 year after the procedure. Conclusions: When diagnosing ocular clinical findings of Alport syndrome, keratoconus should be considered. Standard corneal cross-linking protocol can halt its progression.