2020–2021 BCSC Basic and Clinical Science Course™
13 Refractive Surgery
Chapter 7: Collagen Shrinkage and Crosslinking Procedures
Corneal Crosslinking
Patient Selection
Indications
The primary purpose of crosslinking is to stabilize the progression of ectasia. The most common indication for CCL is keratoconus. Other possible indications include pellucid marginal degeneration and ectasia resulting from refractive surgery.
Contraindications
Corneal crosslinking is relatively contraindicated in the following situations:
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corneal thickness of less than 400 μm (although some protocols may allow for treatment of corneas thicker than 300 μm)
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prior herpetic infection (due to concern of viral reactivation)
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severe corneal scarring or opacification
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history of poor epithelial wound healing
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severe ocular surface disease (eg, dry eye)
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autoimmune disorders
Excerpted from BCSC 2020-2021 series: Section 13 - Refractive Surgery. For more information and to purchase the entire series, please visit https://www.aao.org/bcsc.