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Younger age associated with increased likelihood of PK in keratoconus

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Younger age and poor visual acuity were among the baseline factors associated with increased likelihood of penetrating keratoplasty in keratoconus, a long-term prospective study found.

Mae O. Gordon, PhD, and colleagues prospectively tracked the 8-year incidence of penetrating keratoplasty in 1,065 keratoconic patients in the Collaborative Longitudinal Evaluation of Keratoconus study.

The researchers found that baseline factors associated with PK included younger age, steeper keratometric values, worse visual acuity, corneal scarring, poorer contact lens comfort and poorer vision-related quality of life.

Of patients aged 40 years and younger, 15% underwent PK. Of eyes with a steep keratometric value (greater than 52 D), 28% of patients underwent PK, while 33% with visual acuity less than 20/40 and 24% of those with corneal scarring underwent PK, according to the study authors.

"Knowledge of these factors is beneficial to clinicians in patient education and may be useful in disease management," the authors said.

The study is published in the December issue of the American Journal of Ophthalmology.