Long term efficacy and stability of corneal collagen cross linking for post-LASIK ectasia: an average of 80mo follow-up

This study was designed to evaluate efficacy and stability of corneal collagen crosslinking (CXL) in halting the progression of post-laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) ectasia and provide long-term follow-up results with an average of 80mo. Patients with post-LASIK ectasia were treated with CXL between December 2007 and January 2012. Main outcome measures were uncorrected distance visual acuities (UDVA) and corrected distance visual acuities (CDVA), minimum and maximum keratometry (K) values, spherical and cylindrical refraction, and corneal thickness. The study evaluated 17 eyes for 13 patients (8 men, 5 women) with mean age of 31y (range 23 to 39) and mean follow-up of 80.7±15 (range 57 to 102)mo. UDVA and CDVA improved from logMAR 0.53±0.36 (20/63) to 0.49±0.4 (20/50) (P=0.43) and from 0.18±0.17 (20/28) to 0.16±0.16 (20/27) (P=0.55) respectively. In 15 eyes UDVA and in 13 eyes CDVA either remained stable or improved ≥1 Snellen lines (88.2%) and (76.5%) respectively. Although statistically insignificant, spherical and cylindrical refraction decreased post-CXL from -1.26±2.87 to -0.38±2.32 diopters (D) (P=0.054) and from -3.80±2.47 to -3.04±2.18 D (P=0.13) respectively. Kmax significantly decreased from 44.23±3.76 to 42.85±3.08 D (P=0.013) and Kmin decreased from 41.07±3.61 to 40.00±2.65 D (P=0.057). Corneal thickness decreased from 470±42 to 460±41 µm, but was statistically non-significant (P=0.063). Therefore, CXL is effective in halting and partially reversing the progression of post-LASIK ectasia on the long-term (mean follow-up of more than 80mo), thus highlighting the stability and maintained effect of CXL for such cases.