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HELP KERATOCONUS

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA & SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA SPECIALISTS

HELP KERATOCONUS

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA & SAN FRANCISCO
BAY AREA SPECIALISTS

Home » What's New » Crosslinking treatment of progressive keratoconus: new hope

Crosslinking treatment of progressive keratoconus: new hope

In the August 2006, Current Opinion in Ophthalmology, Gregory Wollensak presents his finding for the treatment of progressive keratoconus using collagen crosslinking by the photosensitzer riboflavin and ultraviolet A-light.  He summarizes that “biomechanical measurements have shown an impressive increase in corneal rigidity of 328.9% in human corneas after crosslinking.”

He further oncluded that, “The 3 and 5-year results of the Dresden clinical study have shown that in all treated 60 eyes the progression of keratoconus was at least stopped (‘freezing’). In 31 eyes there also was a slight reversal and flattening of the keratoconus by up to 2.87 diopters. Best corrected visual acuity improved slightly by 1.4 lines. So far, over 150 keratoconus patients have received crosslinking treatment in Dresden. Laboratory studies have revealed that the maximum effect of the treatment is in the anterior 300 μm of the cornea. As for the corneal endothelium, a cytotoxic level for endothelium was found to be 0.36 mW/cm2 which would be reached in human corneas with a stromal thickness of less than 400 μm.”

In summary, he stated that, “Collagen crosslinking by the photosensitzer riboflavin and ultraviolet A-light is an effective means for stabilizing the cornea in keratoconus. Collagen crosslinking might become the standard therapy for progressive keratoconus in the future diminishing significantly the need for corneal transplantation. Preoperative pachymetry and individual control of the ultraviolet A-irradiance before each treatment are mandatory. The treatment parameters must not be varied.”

Turner EYe Institute continues to maintain itself on the forefront of innovation.  For information regarding Keratoconus treatment, including collagen crosslinking, please contact our offices in San Jose, San Leandro, Concord, and San Francisco.

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