Abstract

Study Design: Prospective observational study. Purpose: To evaluate the corneal topographic changes and determine the prevalence of keratoconus(KC) among patients with vernal keratoconjunctivitis(VKC). Methods:105 patients with VKC were included. Demographic details, clinical data ,topography by Pentacam HR were collected and analyzed. Results: The mean age of presentation was 15.2 years with a male preponderance (M: F = 2.6:1).Overall, about 43.6 % had BCVA of 6/6 and 19.7% had BCVA of <6/18. The distribution of clinical forms of VKC among the 210 eyes was 53.8% palpebral, 37.1 % mixed followed by 9.1 % limbal form. 34.3 % had corneal topographic changes suggestive of KC (Clinical KC – 12.4% & Topographical KC – 21.9%.)All 47 patients with keratoconus had a positive history of eye rubbing. Conclusion: The prevalence of KC/ KC suspects among patients with VKC was 45%. Hence VKC is a significant risk factor for KC and all patients require periodical screening for early diagnosis of KC.