Evaluation of lens clarity in children with atopic dermatitis: A densitometric analysis with Pentacam

Abstract

The association of atopic dermatitis (AD) with a wide variety of ocular complications is known; however, there is no study in the literature that measured lens densitometry in pediatric patients with AD. This study aimed to investigate lens densitometry in children with AD. In order to examine ocular complications in AD, 31 pediatric patients (13 males, 18 females; mean age 12 ± 3 years) with AD and 20 healthy children (9 males, 11 females; mean age 12 ± 2 years), who presented to the dermatology clinic of Istanbul Medipol Mega University between December 2018 and May 2019 were included in this study. The diagnosis of AD was based on the UK Working Party's Diagnostic Criteria for AD. Patients receiving inhaler and systemic steroids were excluded from the study. All children were examined by the same dermatologist and ophthalmologist. The mean values of best‐corrected visual acuity, refractive error, and axial length were similar between both groups (P > .05). The lens densitometry values of zone 1, zone 2, and zone 3, as well as the average lens densitometry measurements were found statistically significantly higher in children with AD compared to the controls (P < .05 for all). This is the first study to demonstrate an increase in treatment‐independent lens densitometry in children with AD.