The Use of Corneal Cross-Linking in Treatment of Progressive Keratoconus: a Review

Keratoconus is a common corneal ectatic disorder which affects approximately 1 in 2,000 people. The traditional treatments for keratoconus are the use of inserts, deep anterior lamellar kerato-plasty (DALK) and anterior lamellar keratoplasty (ALKP). Corneal cross-Linking is a relatively new minimally invasive therapeutic approach for treatment of progressive keratoconus, which increases the structural integrity of the cornea. In corneal cross-linking the production of oxygen free radicals by ultraviolet A (UVA) light increases the biomechanical strength of cornea while riboflavin acts as a photo synthesizer for production of oxygen free radicals by UVA. Treatment of progressive keratoconus is the most widespread use of cross-linking technique. In the present manuscript we will summarize different aspects of the utilization of cross-linking in treatment of corneal keratoconus.