In Vivo Confocal Microscopy Findings in Keratoconus

Uçakhan, Ömür Ö.; Kanpolat, Ayfer; Ylmaz, Nurgül; Özkan, Mehmet

doi:10.1097/01.icl.0000189038.74139.4a

Cited by 98 publications

(114 citation statements)

References 15 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…This finding was supported by Ucakhan et al, who reported the presence of Vogt's striae in the anterior stroma of keratoconic eyes with moderate and severe (3)(4)(5)(6)22). In the present study, polymegathism and pleomorphism were higher in patients with keratoconus than in those with healthy eyes.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

“…Interloss in keratoconus could be associated with disease severity (3). Ucakhan et al reported that morphological alterations, such as folds in the anterior stroma, elongation of keratocyte nuclei, increased polymegathism and pleomorphism and decreased keratocyte density in stroma, were more evident in the severe stages of keratoconus than in the early stage (4). By contrast, Weed et al found that the anterior and posterior stromal keratocyte densities increased in moderate and advance keratoconus compared with the controls (5).…”

Section: Examinersmentioning

confidence: 80%

“…In the posterior stroma, keratocyte cell density was also 4.94% and 6.48% less in stage 2 and stage 3 keratoconus, respectively, than in the stage 1 keratoconus subgroup. Eric et al and Ucakhan et al also related the loss of keratocyte to the severity of keratoconus (3,4). Recently, Bitirgen et al observed a significant difference in the keratocyte density between mild and moderate keratoconus (22).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Moreover, polymegathism and pleomorphism were higher in patients with stage 3 keratoconus than in those with stage 1 and stage 2 keratoconus. Ucakhan et al and Chi et al observed ploymegathism and pleomorphism in severe keratoconus compared with those in the early stages of keratoconus (4,27). Degenerative and ectatic changes in the later stages of keratoconus can explain the alteration in the usual hexagonal pattern of endothelial cells (27,28).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Previous studies reported changes in the endothelial cell morphology in keratoconic eyes Efron et al also reported different amounts of haze and reflectivity in stroma in patients with keratoconus (4,7). Collagen fibrils play a major role in maintaining the transparency of the cornea with their regular and organised arrangement.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Corneal Cell Morphology in Keratoconus: A Confocal Microscopic Observation

Ghosh¹,

Mutalib²,

Kaur³

et al. 2017

MJMS

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose: To evaluate corneal cell morphology in patients with keratoconus using an in vivo slit scanning confocal microscope.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate the corneal cell morphology of 47 keratoconus patients and 32 healthy eyes without any ocular disease. New keratoconus patients with different disease severities and without any other ocular co-morbidity were recruited from the ophthalmology department of a public hospital in Malaysia from June 2013 to May 2014. Corneal cell morphology was evaluated using an in vivo slit-scanning confocal microscope. Qualitative and quantitative data were analysed using a grading scale and the Nidek Advanced Visual Information System software, respectively.Results: The corneal cell morphology of patients with keratoconus was significantly different from that of healthy eyes except in endothelial cell density (P = 0.072). In the keratoconus group, increased level of stromal haze, alterations such as the elongation of keratocyte nuclei and clustering of cells at the anterior stroma, and dark bands in the posterior stroma were observed with increased severity of the disease. The mean anterior and posterior stromal keratocyte densities and cell areas among the different stages of keratoconus were significantly different (P < 0.001 and P = 0.044, respectively). However, the changes observed in the endothelium were not significantly different (P > 0.05) among the three stages of keratoconus.Conclusion: Confocal microscopy observation showed significant changes in corneal cell morphology in keratoconic cornea from normal healthy cornea. Analysis also showed significant changes in different severities of keratoconus. Understanding the corneal cell morphology changes in keratoconus may help in the long-term monitoring and management of keratoconus.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Section: Examinersmentioning

confidence: 80%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Corneal Cell Morphology in Keratoconus: A Confocal Microscopic Observation

Ghosh¹,

Mutalib²,

Kaur³

et al. 2017

MJMS

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Keratoconus at a Molecular Level: A Review

Volatier

Figueiredo

Connon

2019

The Anatomical Record

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Keratoconus is the most common ectatic disease of the cornea. The disease is usually detected between ages 15 and 25. Incidence is estimated at one out of every 2000 individuals, with some specific ethnic groups being more at risk. Keratoconus manifests itself as a progressive stromal thinning and deformation of the corneal tissue into a conical shape. The etiology of keratoconus is uncertain, although several studies have associated the disease to environmental factors, behavioral conditions and certain genetic disorders. In an effort to better understand how the corneal stroma becomes compromised, multiple experiments have been conducted over the last few years looking at the cells themselves and the factors they produce. The secretion pathways and levels of inflammatory molecules, growth factors, digestive enzymes, and apoptotic factors are all relevant to keratoconus. This review describes the current knowledge of keratoconic pathological signaling pathways within the cornea that may help future developments in disease prevention, treatment and modeling.

show abstract