Epithelial-Island Corneal Crosslinking in the Treatment of Progressive Keratoconus Patients with Thin Corneas: 2-Year Visual, Refractive, Keratometric, Tomographic, and Aberrometric Outcomes

Objectives: To evaluate the visual, refractive, tomographic, and aberrometric outcomes of epithelial-island corneal collagen crosslinking (CXL) treatment in halting progression in keratoconic eyes with thin corneas. Materials and Methods: ). Best spectacle-corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), manifest refraction (MR), slit lamp biomicroscopy, corneal tomography, corneal aberrometry, and endothelial cell count (ECC) were evaluated before CXL and at postoperative months 12 and 24. Results: . At postoperative year 1 and year 2, there were no statistically significant changes in any of these parameters (all p>0.05). No significant haze, endothelial cell loss, or any other clinically significant adverse event was encountered in any of the eyes. Conclusion: Epithelial-island CXL seems to be an effective alternative treatment modality in halting progression in keratoconic eyes with thin corneas. Further studies with a longer follow-up and a larger sample size would help to establish the long-term safety and efficacy of this treatment modality.