Dynamics of keratoconus progression after a previous successful accelerated crosslinking treatment during and after pregnancy.

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of previously applied successful accelerated corneal crosslinking (CXL) treatment in keratoconus stabilization during and after pregnancy.

Setting: Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University, Ataturk Training and Research Hospital, Turkey.

Design: Prospective clinical study.

Methods: Patients with stable keratoconus (after having an accelerated CXL procedure) who became pregnant were included. Uncorrected (UDVA) and corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), manifest astigmatism (MA), keratometry (K)1, K2, Kmax, central corneal thickness (CCT), thinnest corneal thickness (TCT), and anterior (AE) and posterior elevation (PE) were recorded at baseline (before CXL), before pregnancy (the last visit after CXL), during pregnancy (third trimester), and after pregnancy (the last visit after pregnancy).

Results: 24 eyes of 19 patients were included. The mean time between CXL and conception was 12.4 ± 5.1 months. The mean postpartum follow-up period was 27.6 ± 13.3 months. The mean UDVA, CDVA, MA, and PE values did not show any statistically significant differences during and after pregnancy compared with the post-CXL values (P > .05). The mean Kmax flattened significantly after the CXL procedure (P = .011); however, it increased during pregnancy (P = .037, after CXL vs pregnancy) and then decreased back to the prepregnancy level after pregnancy (P = .035, pregnancy vs after pregnancy). The mean K1, K2, AE, CCT, and TCT remained stable during pregnancy and significantly decreased after pregnancy (P < .05).

Conclusions: Keratoconus seems to progress during pregnancy in corneas that have previously received successful accelerated CXL treatment. However, this progress was mostly temporary, and generally, regression occurred after delivery.