Scientists develop keratoconus calculator

Scientists have developed a tool to give patients with keratoconus a personalised estimate of their risk of needing a corneal transplant.

A team from Moorfields Eye Hospital and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology have developed the prediction calculator to help make informed decisions about treatment.

Keratoconus makes the cornea thin, impairing vision. It is one of the most common reasons for corneal transplants in younger patients, who often present in their early teens. Milder cases can be managed by contact lenses or glasses but in advanced cases a corneal transplant can be required. A corneal cross-linking (CXL) treatment is able to effectively stop disease progression, but is not always suitable.

Led by Daniel Gore, director of refractive surgery, the team designed a calculator that creates a unique graph for each eye, based on the patient’s individual risk factors. Assessing the likely prognosis helps clinicians and patients to decide whether and when to proceed with transplant. This calculator is part of a wider project to offer more personalised management plans to improve outcomes.

“We hope this work will help patients to gain more meaningful understanding of their disease and how it might impact them,” said Olivia Li, cornea fellow at Moorfields. “It should also support clinicians to make treatment decisions with greater confidence earlier in the disease process and reduce preventable visual loss.”

The work was supported by Moorfields Eye Charity and Friends of Moorfields, and published in the American Journal of Ophthalmology.