Intraoperative corneal thickness measurements during corneal collagen cross-linking with isotonic riboflavin solution without dextran in corneal ectasia

Abstract

Objective: To monitor the changes in corneal thickness during the corneal collagen cross-linking procedure by using isotonic riboflavin solution without dextran in ectatic corneal diseases.Materials and Methods: The corneal thickness measurements were obtained before epithelial removal, after epithelial removal, following the instillation of isotonic riboflavin solution without dextran for 30 min, and after 10 min of ultraviolet A irradiation.Results: Eleven eyes of eleven patients with progressive keratoconus (n = 10) and iatrogenic corneal ectasia (n = 1) were included in this study. The mean thinnest pachymetric measurements were 391.82 ± 30.34 µm (320–434 µm) after de-epithelialization of the cornea, 435 ± 21.17 µm (402–472 µm) following 30 min instillation of isotonic riboflavin solution without dextran and 431.73 ± 20.64 µm (387–461 µm) following 10 min of ultraviolet A irradiation to the cornea.Conclusion: Performing corneal cross-linking procedure with isotonic riboflavin solution without dextran might not induce corneal thinning but a little swelling throughout the procedure.