Keratoconus: early onset, the worst prognosis, eye rubbing and hand-dominance

Purpose: Keratoconus is an ectatic disorder of cornea and mostly involve teen aged group, still the pathogenesis and aetiology is not clearly defined. We try to establish the progression of the diseases is inversely proportional to the age of onset of the patient. Design: It was an observational study, carried out at a private eye hospital where patient was referred for RGP contact lenses. Methods: This observational study was carried out from Jan’ 2017 to Dec’ 2019 total three year period and 304 patients with Keratoconus were in the initial study and we divided them into two groups. Group: A, ≤25 years old and Group: B, >25 years old but among these 304 patient we included 200 patients in our study those who completed minimum 3 years follow-up and meet the inclusion criteria. Results: After three years ‘K’ value in group: A, <0.0001 in group: B, <0.3655. Sim K’s Astigmatism <0.0001 in group: A. <0.0223 in group: B. Central corneal thickness <0.0001 in group: A and 0.1957 in group: B. ‘K’ value and central corneal thickness (CCT) deteriorate more in group: A, than group: B. It is also found that KC progress more in case of VKC and it is more prominent in dominant hand side. Conclusion: At diagnosis, keratoconus is often more advanced in children than in adults, with faster disease progression. Early detection and close monitoring are therefore crucial in young patients.