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  • People with Down syndrome have irregular posterior corneal surfaces

    Comprehensive Ophthalmology, Cornea/External Disease, Refractive Mgmt/Intervention

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    Review of: Posterior corneal features in patients with Down syndrome and their relation with keratoconus

    Vega-Estrada A, Fariselli C, Alio J. British Journal of Ophthalmology, December 2020

    This analysis characterizes posterior corneal surface features in patients with Down syndrome.

    Study design

    This retrospective, comparative, nonrandomized, clinical study comprised 123 eyes divided into 3 groups: 37 eyes of patients with Down Syndrome (mean age 24 years), 46 with mild keratoconus (mean age 38 years) and 40 healthy controls (mean age 37.7 years).

    Outcomes

    Patients with Down syndrome had steeper posterior corneal curvatures and more higher-order aberrations compared with healthy controls, but was statistically similar to the mild keratoconus group.

    Limitations

    This study was limited by the absence of age matching between groups.

    Clinical significance

    The posterior corneal surface of patients with Down syndrome exhibits similarities to patients with early keratoconus. It is possible that Down Syndrome patients are affected by a specific keratopathy, which requires further study.