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Posterior pole retinal thickness distribution pattern in keratoconus

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Abstract

Purpose

To evaluate the pattern of retinal thickness distribution in patients with keratoconus (KCN) and its correlation with disease severity.

Methods

For this cross-sectional cohort study, the study subjects with documented keratoconus and normal eyes were prospectively enrolled. All subjects had anterior segment (Pentacam HR) and posterior segment (Spectralis) imaging. Posterior segment imaging by optical coherence tomography included the posterior pole asymmetry analysis map. Data were analyzed with multiple linear regression models and correlation tests to examine the mean and variance of the measured thickness of the retina and its distribution relative to the presence and severity of KCN.

Results

A total of 24 subjects with keratoconus (48 eyes) and 14 normal subjects (28 eyes) enrolled in this study. The posterior pole retinal thickness, both superior and inferior hemifields, as well as the overall retinal thickness in KCN patients was greater than the control group. There was a direct correlation between the overall retinal thickness of the posterior pole and the severity of KCN (R2 = 0.422, P < 0.001). However, the variability of the retinal thickness showed no difference between KCN-afflicted and healthy eyes.

Conclusion

Although KCN is a disease of the anterior segment of the eye, we found an orderly increase in posterior pole retinal thickness that is correlated with the severity of disease in KCN eyes compared to control. These findings suggest that the retina may maintain some degree of plasticity to respond to the degraded optical system of the eye.

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Funding

No funding was received for this work. The contents of this work do not represent the views of the Department of Veterans Affairs or the United States government.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Buffalo, NY, USA

    Ali Mahdavi Fard & Sangita P. Patel

  2. Research and Ophthalmology Services, Veterans Administration of Western New York Healthcare System, Buffalo, NY, USA

    Sangita P. Patel

  3. Department of Ophthalmology, Tabriz university of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran

    Raana Daei Sorkhabi & Sara Salekzamani

  4. Department of Anesthesiology, University at Buffalo Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, UB-Gateway Bldg Suite 550, 77 Goodell Street, Buffalo, NY, 14203, USA

    Elena Pezzino & Nader D. Nader

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  1. Ali Mahdavi Fard
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Correspondence to Nader D. Nader.

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Fard, A.M., Patel, S.P., Sorkhabi, R.D. et al. Posterior pole retinal thickness distribution pattern in keratoconus. Int Ophthalmol 40, 2807–2816 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10792-020-01464-8

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