Optom Vis Sci. 2021 Dec 9. doi: 10.1097/OPX.0000000000001839. Online ahead of print.
ABSTRACT
SIGNIFICANCE: Corneal haze remains a frequent postoperative finding in patients undergoing corneal crosslinking. It has been shown that autologous serum tears promote epithelial healing and reduce postoperative pain; however, the role in the prevention of corneal haze has not been reported.
PURPOSE: To compare the effect of autologous serum tears vs. preservative-free artificial tears on the prevention and resolution of post-crosslinking corneal haze.
METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted in a sample population from one surgeon at a tertiary eye center from 2016 to 2019. Seventy-six eyes of consecutive patients who underwent crosslinking were included. Records were reviewed for corneal Scheimpflug densitometry values and maximum keratometry (Kmax), epithelial healing time, and the use of either autologous serum tears or preservative-free artificial tears. Corneal densitometry values, expressed in standardized Grayscale Units (GSU), were recorded for the anterior 150 μm corneal stroma and in the 0.0-2.0 mm and 2.0-6.0 mm zones.
RESULTS: 44 eyes received autologous serum tears, while 32 eyes received preservative-free artificial tears. The baseline GSU of the anterior stromal 0-2 mm annulus and the 2-6 mm annulus did not significantly differ between groups (P = .5 and P = .4, respectively). There was a statistically significant increase in mean GSU for both anterior 0-2 mm and 2-6 mm zones between baseline and 1 month (P < .001) and 3 months (P < .001). When comparing the two groups, no statistically significant difference was found postoperatively between the mean GSU at one month for the anterior 0-2 mm (P = .38) nor the 2-6 mm zone (P = .12); or for the third month (P = .60 and P = .44, respectively).
CONCLUSIONS: Using Scheimpflug densitometry, we did not find a significant difference in the post-crosslinking corneal haze at 1 and 3 postoperative months between patients that use autologous serum tears or preservative-free artificial tears.
PMID:34889859 | DOI:10.1097/OPX.0000000000001839
