Prevalence of keratoconus in candidates for refractive surgical procedures

Abstract

Introduction. Keratoconus is the most common primary ectasia and has a signifi cant effect on visual acuity and the quality of life. The prevalence of keratoconus in the general population of Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Croatia remains unknown. This study was designed to show the incidence of keratoconus in candidates for Excimer laser refractive surgical procedures in our eye clinics. Methods. We analyzed preoperative examination data from 2,714 patients, collected over a two year period, who were candidates for Excimer refractive surgical procedures. Patients were sorted into groups according to their gender, age, degree of keratoconus (Amsler-Krumeich classifi cation) and involvement of one or both eyes. Results. Keratoconus was detected in 231 patients (335 eyes); 133 of the patients were male and 99 were female. Unilateral keratoconus was found in 127, and bilateral in 104 patients. Four age groups were designated: 49 were 18-25 years old, 68 patients were 25-35 years old, and 57 were in both age groups, 36-45 and 45-75 years. Keratoconus was diagnosed in 335 eyes with the following distribution: stage I-86, stage II-84, stage III-97, and stage IV-68 eyes. Conclusion. We examined a large number of patients preoperatively and found a higher prevalence of keratoconus than previously reported for the general population. Our particular sample does not accurately refl ect the prevalence of the disorder within the general regional population of Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Croatia. Nonetheless, our fi ndings signal a need for public health outreach and intervention for keratoconus within those regions.

Prevalence of Keratoconus in Refractive Surgery Practice Population in North Macedonia

“…We are aware of only two other studies on refractive surgery populations in the region around N. Macedonia. The prevalence of KC in these studies was 2.9% and 8.5% respectively, values much lower compared with the current study [19,20]. However, the design of these other studies did not consider ethnicity and the age ranges in the sample groups were limited.…”

“…There are uncertainties concerning gender as a predisposing factor in the diagnosis of KC in the different refractive surgery populations around the world. Studies by Omer [17] and Talal et al [21] found the prevalence in males and females was about the same, but Kozomara et al [20] found slightly higher prevalence among males than females.…”

Abbreviated UVA-riboflavin corneal collagen cross-linking for keratoconus and post-LASIK ectasia

“…[8][9][10][11][12][13][14] An increased number of patients with forme fruste keratoconus tend to seek laser vision correction; the incidence has been documented to be in some cases as high as 9%. 15 Fortunately, some years ago Spoerl, Huhle, and Seiler 16 published a procedure called corneal collagen cross-linking with ribofl avin that provided a partial solution to the problem of ectatic and keratoconic corneas. Studies from their institute and many others have advanced the fi eld with over 400 papers having been published since that time.…”