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Diagnostic Tools for Ectatic Corneal Diseases

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Corneal Collagen Cross Linking

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Abstract

Refractive surgery allowed great advances in understanding the pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of corneal ectatic diseases. Identification of mild cases with normal spectacle-corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) and minimal or no biomicroscopic signs represent a challenge faced by refractive surgeons in daily practice. In fact, the different situations that highlight this importance range from screening the candidates for laser vision correction (LVC) for ectasia risk to the impact of refractive surgery technologies on treatment. This is also fundamental to detect cases that will benefit from therapeutic surgery such as collagen cross linking (CXL). Diagnostic techniques should also be effective for staging, prognosis, and follow up of ectatic corneal diseases, as well as to enhance the efficiency of refractive LVC. Corneal ectasia is a condition of the cornea characterized by chronic biomechanical failure that leads to thinning and tissue protrusion without an acute inflammatory sign. Keratoconus (KC) is the most common disease of this group of corneal disorders. This chapter overviews the clinical diagnosis and characterization, including ancillary and advanced tests that have a role on the diagnosis and management of corneal ectatic diseases, especially KC.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Cornea and Refractive Surgery, Instituto de Olhos Renato Ambrosio, Conde De Bonfim 211/712, Rio de Janeiro, 20520-050, Brazil

    Gustavo Guerra MD, Fernando Faria Correia MD, Ivan Dias Ferreira MD & Renato Ambrósio Junior MD, PhD

  2. Department of Cornea and Refractive Surgery, Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Daniel G. Dawson MD

  3. Rio de Janeiro Corneal Tomography and Biomechanics Study Group, Instituto de Olhos Renato Ambrósio, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Lia Florim Patrão MD

Authors
  1. Gustavo Guerra MD
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  2. Fernando Faria Correia MD
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  3. Daniel G. Dawson MD
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  4. Lia Florim Patrão MD
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  5. Ivan Dias Ferreira MD
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  6. Renato Ambrósio Junior MD, PhD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Renato Ambrósio Junior MD, PhD .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Ophthalmology Department, Damascus University, Damascus, Saudi Arabia

    Mazen M. Sinjab

  2. Wellington Eye Clinic, Dublin, Ireland

    Arthur B. Cummings

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Guerra, G., Correia, F.F., Dawson, D.G., Patrão, L.F., Ferreira, I.D., Ambrósio Junior, R. (2017). Diagnostic Tools for Ectatic Corneal Diseases. In: Sinjab, M., Cummings, A. (eds) Corneal Collagen Cross Linking. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39775-7_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39775-7_1

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