Late Onset Sterile Infiltrate after Accelerated Corneal Cross-Linking

ABSTRACT

Background: Collagen crosslinking is a therapeutic technique designed to strengthen the cornea and halt the progression of keratoconus. Late onset sterile infiltrate is one of the complications of the corneal Collagen crosslinking.

Objective: This study aimed to describe the prevalence, clinical manifestations, potential risk factors and therapeutic options for late-onset sterile infiltration following corneal Collagen crosslinking.

Methods: 2400 patients with a diagnosis of mild to advanced-stage progressive keratoconus underwent accelerated Collagen crosslinking treatment at North eye center (Erbil-Iraq) between April 2018 and March 2022 were included in this study.

Result: Nine patients (0.4%) developed late-onset sterile infiltrates between 3 months and 6 years following Collagen crosslinking. three (33.3%) of them were male and the remaining six (66.6%) were female.

Patients complained of pain, redness, photophobia, swelling, watering and sometimes decreased vision in one eye, the recurrent conditional eventually became bilateral.

Three eyes experienced a decrease in BCVA. No significant association was found between age of the patient, duration of the light exposure, atopic diseases and the development of sterile infiltrate. All patients responds to steroid treatment, however, six (66.6%) of them had recurrent recurrences in the same or the other eye.

Conclusion: Sterile infiltrate is a rare complication in the late postoperative period following uneventful accelerated corneal Collagen crosslinking. It is a treatable condition, responds quickly to steroid eye drops and has a good visual prognosis.