Transepithelial iontophoresis versus standard corneal collagen cross-linking: 1-year results of a prospective clinical study

Abstract To compare 1-year transepithelial corneal collagen cross-linking with iontophoresis (I-CXL) outcomes with standard CXL (S-CXL) epithelium-off for progressive keratoconus. Forty eyes of 40 patients with progressive keratoconus were included in this comparative, prospective clinical study. Corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), spherical equivalent, cylinder refraction, corneal topography, Scheimpflug tomography, aberrometry, and endothelial cell count were assessed at baseline and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months of follow-up. Patients received either I-CXL (20 eyes) or S-CXL (20 eyes). Functional parameters (visual acuity and aberrometry) showed a significant improvement (P .05). The 1-year outcomes suggest that I-CXL might be comparable to S-CXL in stabilizing the progression of the degenerative ectatic disease. Additionally, quicker improvement of functional parameters was reported in the I-CXL group. [J Refract Surg. 2016;32(10):672-678.].