Tear function and ocular surface changes in keratoconus☆
Section snippets
Subjects and examinations
Seventy-five eyes of 38 keratoconus patients (23 males and 16 females) aged between 12 and 46 years (mean, 24.8 years), as well as 80 eyes of 40 normal subjects aged from 12 to 47 years (mean, 24 years; 20 males and 20 females), were recruited from the Department of Ophthalmology of Uludag University Hospital from April 2000 through May 2001. Both groups were similar regarding age and sex characteristics. Routine ophthalmic examinations consisted of best-corrected visual acuity measurements,
Clinical features
There were no age- or sex-related statistical differences between patients with keratoconus and control subjects. The duration of patient-reported keratoconus eye disease varied from 1 to 24 years (mean, 8.0 ± 5.9 years). Thirty-one patients (81.5%) complained of symptoms of eye fatigue, irritation, and foreign-body sensation. Slit-lamp biomicroscopy of the eyelid margins and conjunctiva did not reveal any coexistent blepharitis, meibomian gland disorder, or conjunctivitis. However, 35 eyes
Discussion
Previous histopathologic and biochemical studies revealed numerous structural, metabolic, and functional abnormalities in the conjunctiva and cornea of patients with keratoconus. Recently, release of stromal collagen degradation products (telopeptides) into the tear film of keratoconus patients has also been reported.27 How these abnormalities affect the ocular surface and the tear functions in keratoconus still remains controversial. We thought that description of the tear film and ocular
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