Collagen cross linking: Current perspectives

Abstract

Keratoconus is a common ectatic disorder occurring in more than 1 in 1,000 individuals. The condition typically starts in adolescence and early adulthood. It is a disease with an uncertain cause and its progression is unpredictable, but in extreme cases, vision deteriorates and can require corneal transplant surgery. Corneal collagen cross-linking (CCL) with riboflavin (C3R) is a recent treatment option that can enhance the rigidity of the cornea and prevent disease progression. Since its inception, the procedure has evolved with newer instrumentation, surgical techniques, and is also now performed for expanded indications other than keratoconus. With increasing experience, newer guidelines regarding optimization of patient selection, the spectrum of complications and their management, and combination procedures are being described. This article in conjunction with the others in this issue, will try and explore the uses of collagen cross-linking (CXL) in its current form.

Keywords

• Epidemiology
• keratoconus
• prevalence
• Disease pathogenesis
• genetic heterogeneity
• genetics and genomics
• genome-wide association study
• genomic loci
• keratoconus
• linkage mapping
• molecular mechanisms
• whole exome-genome sequencing
• Deregulation
• ectasia
• gene expression
• keratoconus
• mass spectroscopy
• proteomics
• signaling pathways
• Cornea
• crosslinking
• keratoconus
• modulus
• Corneal topography
• imaging
• keratoconus
• optical coherence tomography
• placido disc based topography
• Ectatic disease
• keratoconus
• scheimpflug imaging
• Keratoconus
• ocular allergy
• vernal keratoconjunctivitis
• Contact lens
• keratoconus
• piggy back contact lenses
• rigid gas permeable
• scleral lens
• SynergEyes
• toric soft contact lens
• Corneal cross-linking techniques
• new technologies
• riboflavin
• Collagen cross linking