Iontophoresis-assisted versus standard corneal crosslinking for progressive keratoconus

Background:To compare the safety and efficacy of iontophoresis-assisted epithelial-on corneal crosslinking(I-CXL)using 0.1%riboflavin-distilled water solution with standard epithelium-off corneal crosslinking(S-CXL)for progressive keratoconus.Methods:In a retrospective analysis,progressive keratoconus patients treated with I-CXL(17 eyes of 17 patients)or S-CXL(13 eyes of 13 patients)were included.All patients were followed up at least 12 months.All patients underwent detailed ophthalmologic examinations involving pre-and postoperative visual acuity,topographic parameters and pachymetry.Intra-and postoperative complications were recorded.Results:No statistically significant differences were observed between the two groups at baseline with respect to visual acuity,age and thinnest corneal thickness(TCT).The postoperative decreases of K1 and Kmean in the S-CXL group represented statistically significantly better results than in the I-CXL group(t=2.093 and 2.123,P=0.046 and 0.043,respectively).Alterations of other parameters showed no significant differences between the two groups.There were no failure cases in the two groups.Conclusions:I-CXL using 0.1%riboflavin-distilled water solution provided effective treatment for progressive keratoconus at 12-month follow-up.However,the decreases of K1 and Kmean caused by I-CXL were less than those by S-CXL.Although treatment time,postoperative patient pain and risk of infection in I-CXL are all less than those in S-CXL,I-CXL is unable to completely replace S-CXL for progressive keratoconus temporarily.