Different accelerated corneal collagen cross-linking treatment modalities in progressive keratoconus

Background:To compare the outcomes of two different protocols of accelerated corneal crosslinking(CXL)on visual,corneal high order aberrations(HOA)and topographic parameters in patients with progressive keratoconus.Methods:In this prospective comparative study,sixty-six eyes of 66 patients with progressive keratoconus were divided into two groups;37 eyes in Group 1 received 18 mW/cm^(2) for five minutes,and 29 eyes in Group 2 were treated with 9 mW/cm^(2) for 10 min.The uncorrected distant visual acuity(UCVA),best-corrected distant visual acuity(BCVA),corneal HOAs and topography parameters were measured preoperatively and postoperatively at the end of 12 months.The data for the two groups were compared statistically.Results:The mean UCVA and BCVA were significantly improved at the postoperative 12 months compared with the preoperative values in both groups(P<0.05 for all).A significant improvement in corneal HOAs was observed in both groups(P<0.05 for all).The change in corneal coma value was significantly higher in Group 2(P<0.05).The change in keratometric values K1,K2,AvgK and maximum keratometry(AKf)were significantly higher in Group 2(P<0.05 for all).The regression model showed that the most important factor predicting the change in AKf was the type of CXL(β=−0.482,P=0.005).Conclusions:Accelerated CXL using 10 min of UVA irradiance at 9 mW/cm^(2) showed better topographic improvements and coma values than five minutes of UVA irradiance at 18 mW/cm^(2) independent of keratoconus severity.