Corneal higher-order aberrations in Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis

Abstract Purpose To characterize the topography patterns and quantify corneal higher-order aberrations (HOAs) in the chronic phase of Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN). Methods This retrospective, consecutive case series included 84 eyes of 49 patients in the chronic phase of SJS/TEN. HOAs of the total cornea, and of the anterior and posterior surfaces were measured using anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT). Corneal topography patterns were classified into one of the 4 types: ectasia-, asymmetric-, flattening- and minimal change- patterns. Results Mean logarithm of the minimal angle of resolution (logMAR) was 0.93 ± 0.95. AS-OCT showed ectasia pattern in 16 eyes (19.0%), asymmetric pattern in 28 eyes (33.3%), flattening pattern in 11 eyes (13.0%) and minimal change pattern in 29 eyes (34.5%). The HOAs of the total cornea were 1.23 ± 1.04 μm within a 4-mm diameter, which were significantly larger than those in normal controls (P  Conclusions The most common topographic patterns for SJS/TEN were minimal change pattern and asymmetric pattern. Corneal HOAs were associated with decreased visual acuity in SJS/TEN.