Corneal Tomography Changes After Simultaneous Topical Application of Cyclosporine and Trehalose in Keratoconus Evaluated with an Artificial Intelligence Model

Source: PubMed Central Open Access, NCBI / U.S. National Library of Medicine

Purpose To assess corneal tomography changes in keratoconus (KC) patients after long-term simultaneous use of topical cyclosporine and trehalose. Design Retrospective observational study. Methods Corneal tomography of 362 eyes with KC was performed using Pentacam (OCULUS Optikgerate Gmbh, Germany) at 1visit and at the last follow-up. Progression was initially evaluated based on change in maximum keratometry (Kmax). This initial classification was then assessed with an artificial intelligence model of 31 tomography variables of Pentacam to confirm the inference of progression based on Kmax alone. Results The mean follow-up time was 10.8 ± 6.01 months (range: 6 to 36 months). Based on a change in Kmax of 0.75, 1.0 and 1.25D criteria, more than 90% of the eyes were stable for each criterion at the last follow-up (initial classification). The AI model confirmed stability of corneal tomography in more than 95% of the eyes at the last follow-up (final classification). Conclusion Most KC eyes had stable tomography findings between the first and last follow-up. Topical anti-inflammatory regimens may be useful for minimizing or eliminating KC progression.