Keratoconus and Its Effects on Visual Acuity: Early Diagnosis

Ali Saeed Mahdi and Salam Tareq Jawad

Abstract

Keratoconus is an eye condition that is common in both eyes, with a prevalence of more than 1 in 1000 people. The analysis and diagnosis of the status of the keratoconus in the study consisted of an assortment of specialized medical apparatus which encompasses Auto Refractometer to measure the refractive errors, Penta Cam to create a three dimensional map of the corneal profile, Corneal Topography to identify the existence of an abnormality, a Slit Lamp to view the structure of the anterior eye, Visual Acuity Charts to measure the degree of vision impairment, and Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) to image the corneal and retinal layers with high precision. A total of 139 patients diagnosed with keratoconus were subjected to clinical examinations, 117 of them were at the Al-Najaf Teaching Hospital, and 22 at the Samarra Hospital. The information was carefully recorded in terms of the disease progression, examination, and the level of visual impairment. It was found that the majority of patients have some visual impairment despite the degree of their acuity, which has a significant effect on the quality of their life, and the disease advancement is determined by the age, medical history, and extent of corneal deformation. Result: The outcome showed that Males (63.3%) were more affected by the kerokans than Females (36.7%), and the age group most likely to be affected is 20-30 (38.3%) of the entire number of patients. Eighty-two patients were right-eye affected (59% of the number of cases), and 57 patients were left-eye affected (41% of the number of cases). Penta Cam was the most used diagnostic method, with a percentage of 46.8, and Cross-Linking was the most used treatment method, with a rate of 46.