Refractive CXL
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A prospective, controlled study of refractive corneal cross-linking for progressive keratoconus
IRAS ID
224286
Contact name
Daniel Gore
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Young patients with keratoconus face two problems: disease progression and corneal shape irregularity. Both underlie the 20% rate of corneal transplantation in keratoconics required to maintain useful vision.
Corneal collagen cross-linking (CXL) is a now the gold-standard treatment to halt disease progression. The aim is to strengthen the cornea to prevent further shape deterioration. For patients whose quality of vision has already suffered, standard CXL can generally only prevent further deterioration, rather than improving vision. Refractive CXL, a new iteration of CXL in which a bespoke treatment pattern is applied to the cornea, aims to smooth out surface irregularities thereby improving vision.
This primary objective of this study is to compare the visual outcome in patients with progressive keratoconus treated with refractive CXL, as compared with historical controls treated with standard CXL.
REC name
London - South East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/LO/0952
Date of REC Opinion
17 Oct 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion