Cornea

Investigating the Link Between Visual Quality and Vision-Related Quality of Life in Patients With Keratoconus

imagePurpose:

The purpose of the study was to investigate the optical and visual determinants of vision-related quality of life (VR-QoL) in patients with keratoconus.

Methods:

A cross-sectional case–control study was conducted at the Department of Ophthalmology, Antwerp University Hospital, Belgium. Patients previously diagnosed with keratoconus and healthy emmetropic or ametropic volunteers were included. Patients younger than 18 years, with ametropia of more than ±10 D, or with a history of corneal surgery or relevant ocular comorbidity limiting visual acuity were excluded. Assessment included autorefraction, high-contrast visual acuity testing, corneal imaging, intraocular straylight analysis, contrast sensitivity, aberrometry, and the National Eye Institute Visual Functioning Questionnaire (NEI VFQ-25). The Rasch-modified visual functioning scale (VFS) and socio-emotional scale were used to quantify VR-QoL. Stepwise linear regression was used to investigate the association between the clinical variables and VR-QoL.

Results:

Seventy-seven patients with keratoconus (77 pairs of eyes) and 77 age-matched and sex-matched controls were included in the study. The scores on the VFS and the SES were significantly lower in patients with keratoconus compared with controls (P

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Prospective In Vitro Comparison of Kerasave and Optisol-GS Corneal Storage Solutions

imagePurpose:

The aim of this study was to compare the performance of Kerasave and Optisol-GS for hypothermic corneal storage for 14 days.

Methods:

This study was a prospective laboratory investigation. Mate corneas were recovered into Kerasave or Optisol-GS (27 pairs) and stored at 2°C to 8°C for 14 days. Corneas were evaluated by trained eye bank technicians, and study parameters were compared between the initial and final evaluations. Endothelial cell density (ECD), hexagonality (HEX), and coefficient of variation (CV) were evaluated by specular microscopy, and central corneal thickness (CCT) was examined by optical coherence tomography after 1, 3, 7, and 14 days of storage. Corneal transparency was scored using slit lamp examination at days 1 and 14.

Results:

Average ECD, HEX, and CV for the Kerasave (2653 ± 303 cells/mm2, 57 ± 4%, and 36 ± 3%) and Optisol-GS (2623 ± 306 cells/mm2, 57 ± 5%, and 36 ± 4%) groups were not significantly different at day 1. There was also no difference at any other study time points (all P > 0.05). ECD did not significantly change from day 1 to day 14 in either group (P > 0.05), but a statistically significant change in HEX and CV was observed between day 1 and day 14 in both groups (P 0.05). Corneal transparency was not significantly different between the 2 groups at day 1 or day 14.

Conclusions:

The corneal quality and clinically relevant parameters including ECD, endothelial morphometry, and corneal transparency were not different in corneas stored in Kerasave or Optisol-GS for 14 days. The initial difference in CCT between the 2 groups decreased at day 14. These results demonstrated that Kerasave corneal storage solution preserves the corneal endothelium similarly to Optisol-GS.

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