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Keratoglobus Basic Science

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Encyclopedia of Ophthalmology

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Synonyms

Anterior megalophthalmus; Megalocornea

Definition

Keratoglobus is a rare, degenerative bilateral corneal disease characterized by corneal thinning and hemispherical protrusion that may lead to myopia (Lange and Gareis 2007).

Structure

Keratoglobus is characterized by thinning of the cornea from limbus to limbus (Wallang and Das 2013). Scleral thinning and minimal corneal scarring may also be involved. The cornea tends to be of normal or increased diameter with these physical changes (Karabatsas and Cook 1996). The eye will have normal to low intraocular pressure with a normal disk. Corneal edema is a rare complication of keratoglobus that increases the risk of rupture.

Functions

The cause of keratoglobus is unclear, and the pattern of corneal thinning tends to be unpredictable (Krachmer et al. 1984). Patients may report vision deterioration that affects their daily functioning. Keratoglobus does not cause blindness though.

Clinical Relevance

Keratoglobus is much more rare than...

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References

  • Jones DH, Kirkness CM (2001) A new surgical technique for keratoglobus-tectonic lamellar keratoplasty followed by secondary penetrating keratoplasty. Cornea 20(8):885–887

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  • Kodjikian L, Baillif S, Burillon C, Grange JD, Garweg JG (2004) Keratoglobus surgery: penetrating keratoplasty redux. Acta Ophthalmol Scand 82(5):625–627

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  • Karabatsas CH, Cook SD (1996) Topographic analysis in pellucid marginal corneal degeneration and keratoglobus. Eye (Lond) 10(Pt4):451–455

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  • Krachmer JH, Feder RS, Belin MW (1984) Keratoconus and related noninflammatory corneal thinning disorders. Surv Ophthalmol 28(4):293–322

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lange GK, Gareis O (2007) Ophthalmology: a pocket textbook atlas, 2nd edn. Thieme, Stuttgart, pp 123–125

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  • Wallang BS, Das S (2013) Keratoglobus. Eye (Lond) 27(9):1004–1012

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Louisville Ophthalmology, 1500 River Shore Drive, Apt 429, Louisville, KY, 40206, USA

    Sidharth Puri

Authors
  1. Sidharth Puri
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Correspondence to Sidharth Puri .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept of Ophthal & Optometry,AKH, Medical University of Wien Dept of Ophthal & Optometry,AKH, Wien, Austria

    Ursula Schmidt-Erfurth

  2. Department of Ophthalmology, Goethe University of Frankfurt am Main Department of Ophthalmology, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

    Thomas Kohnen

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© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Puri, S. (2014). Keratoglobus Basic Science. In: Schmidt-Erfurth, U., Kohnen, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Ophthalmology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35951-4_542-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35951-4_542-2

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-35951-4

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