Kjo 32 163
Kjo 32 163
Original Article
Purpose: To compare the effect of posterior corneal astigmatism on the estimation of total corneal astigmatism
using anterior corneal measurements (simulated keratometry [K]) between eyes with keratoconus and healthy
eyes.
Methods: Thirty-three eyes of 33 patients with keratoconus of grade I or II and 33 eyes of 33 age- and sex-
matched healthy control subjects were enrolled. Anterior, posterior, and total corneal cylinder powers and flat
meridians measured by a single Scheimpflug camera were analyzed. The difference in corneal astigmatism
between the simulated K and total cornea was evaluated.
Results: The mean anterior, posterior, and total corneal cylinder powers of the keratoconus group (4.37 ± 1.73,
0.95 ± 0.39, and 4.36 ± 1.74 cylinder diopters [CD], respectively) were significantly greater than those of the
control group (1.10 ± 0.68, 0.39 ± 0.18, and 0.97 ± 0.63 CD, respectively). The cylinder power difference be-
tween the simulated K and total cornea was positively correlated with the posterior corneal cylinder power and
negatively correlated with the absolute flat meridian difference between the simulated K and total cornea in
both groups. The mean magnitude of the vector difference between the astigmatism of the simulated K and
total cornea of the keratoconus group (0.67 ± 0.67 CD) was significantly larger than that of the control group
(0.28 ± 0.12 CD).
Conclusions: Eyes with keratoconus had greater estimation errors of total corneal astigmatism based on an-
terior corneal measurement than did healthy eyes. Posterior corneal surface measurement should be more
emphasized to determine the total corneal astigmatism in eyes with keratoconus.
Key Words: Astigmatism, Cornea, Keratoconus, posterior corneal astigmatism, total corneal astigmatism
Keratoconus is a chronic, progressive, noninflammatory, myopia and irregular astigmatism [1]. The condition usual-
ectatic corneal disorder that deteriorates vision because of ly arrests in the third to fourth decades of life, although it
can commence later and progress at any age [1]. Currently,
a rigid gas-permeable contact lens, intrastromal corneal
Received: June 12, 2017 Accepted: October 15, 2017
ring segment implantation, corneal collagen cross-linking,
Corresponding Author: Youngsub Eom, MD, PhD. Department of Oph- photorefractive keratectomy, and a phakic intraocular lens
thalmology, Ansan Hospital, Korea University College of Medicine, #123
Jeokgeum-ro, Danwon-gu, Ansan 15355, Korea. Tel: 82-31-412-5160, Fax: (IOL) are the treatment options for keratoconus.
82-2-924-6820, E-mail: [email protected] Collagen cross-linking affects the progression of and can
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Korean J Ophthalmol Vol.32, No.3, 2018
suppress keratoconus [2]. A previous study demonstrated the Declaration of Helsinki and was approved by the insti-
that combined collagen cross-linking and toric phakic IOL tutional review board of Korea University Ansan Hospital
implantation was associated with good clinical outcomes (AS14068). According to the institutional review board
for correcting myopic astigmatism for mild to moderate standard operating procedures on retrospective single cen-
progressive keratoconus [3]. The cylinder power of a toric ter clinical study, ethics committee of the Korea University
phakic IOL is determined by ocular astigmatism, not by Ansan Hospital ruled that subject consent was not required
corneal astigmatism. In comparison, when cataract surgery for this study. Retrospective reviews were performed on all
with toric IOL implantation is considered, the cylinder patients diagnosed with keratoconus at our institution be-
power of toric IOL is determined by corneal astigmatism, tween May 8, 2009 and May 31, 2017. We included patients
because the lenticular astigmatism disappears [4]. who underwent a single Scheimpflug camera examination
Recently, the importance of posterior corneal astigma- (Oculus, Wetzler, Germany) at our institution [7]. All pa-
tism has been recognized when toric IOL is considered, tients also underwent measurement of refractive error us-
because selecting toric IOL based on anterior corneal mea- ing an autorefractometer (KR-8100; Topcon, Tokyo, Japan).
surements and neglecting posterior corneal astigmatism Keratoconus was defined as exhibiting at least one typi-
could lead to an incorrect estimation of total corneal astig- cal keratoconus sign (i.e., anterior bulging of the cornea,
matism [5,6]. Unlike the anterior corneal surface, most stromal thinning, Fleischer ring, Vogt striae, or Descemet’s
eyes had against-the-rule (ATR) astigmatism on the poste- breaks) on slit-lamp examination and topographic findings
rior corneal surface. Thus, estimating the total corneal (i.e., asymmetric bow-tie pattern with or without skewed
astigmatism using anterior corneal measurements (simu- axes and central or paracentral steepening of the cornea)
lated keratometry [K]) could lead to overcorrection in eyes [13]. Eyes with grade I or II keratoconus according to the
with with-the-rule (WTR) astigmatism and undercorrec- Amsler-Krumeich classification (keratometric astigmatism
tion in eyes with ATR astigmatism [5,7,8]. This phenome- <8.00 diopters [D], mean central K reading <53.00 D, ab-
non might be more pronounced in patients with keratoco- sence of corneal scarring, or minimum corneal thickness
nus, because keratoconus involves a high degree of corneal > 400 μm) and no history of treatment for keratoconus were
astigmatism [9-11]. included [14,15]. Because corneal opacity precludes accu-
Eyes with keratoconus cannot avoid cataract develop- rate corneal topography measurement, patients with corne-
ment, and cataract surgery with toric IOL implantation can al opacity such as subepithelial fibrosis or anterior stromal
be considered for progression of cataracts. Alio et al. [12] scarring were excluded.
reported that cataract surgery with toric IOL implantation The patients were matched for age (±3 years), sex, and
is a safe and effective procedure in eyes with cataracts and laterality at a ratio of 1 : 1 to a normal control group who
stable keratoconus. Thus, the aim of this study was to underwent a single Scheimpf lug camera examination at
compare the anterior, posterior, and total corneal powers our institution during the same study period. The normal
and astigmatisms of keratoconus with those of healthy control group was selected by reviewing charts and the
eyes and to evaluate the effect of posterior corneal astig- single Scheimpflug examination results. We excluded con-
matism on the estimation of total corneal astigmatism us- trols with abnormal findings on both the slit-lamp exam-
ing anterior corneal measurements in eyes with keratoco- ination and the single Scheimpflug examination.
nus using a single Scheimpflug camera.
Main outcome measures
Materials and Methods For each subject, we measured anterior, posterior, and
total mean corneal power; cylinder power; flat meridian;
Study population and central corneal thickness using a single Scheimpflug
camera. The refractive indices used in the Scheimpf lug
This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted camera were 1 for air, 1.376 for cornea, and 1.336 for aque-
at the department of ophthalmology in the Korea Universi- ous humor. Anterior corneal power, or simulated K, was
ty College of Medicine. The study adhered to the tenets of calculated using a single value for the keratometric index
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Y Choi, et al. Corneal Astigmatism in Keratoconus Eyes
(n k = 1.3375). The total corneal power, or true net power, formed to compare the mean magnitudes of the vector
was calculated using the Gaussian total corneal power with differences of the astigmatism and the mean absolute cor-
the Gullstrand eye model without regard for corneal thick- neal power and the flat meridian differences between the
ness in the 4.0-mm zone [16]. Anterior, posterior, and total simulated K and total cornea between keratoconus and
corneal powers were calculated in a single Scheimpf lug healthy eyes. Linear regression and Pearson’s correlation
camera based on the following equations: analyses were performed to evaluate correlations between
corneal power, cylinder power, and flat meridian among
Anterior corneal power= 1.3375-1 ×1,000 anterior and posterior corneal surfaces and the total cor-
r ant
nea. Chi-square tests were performed to compare the pro-
Posterior corneal power= 1.336-1.376 ×1,000 portions of anterior and posterior corneal astigmatism ac-
r post
cording to the flat meridian between eyes with keratoconus
Total corneal power= 1.376-1 ×1,000+1.336-1.376 ×1,000 and healthy eyes. Results were considered statistically sig-
r ant r post nificant at a p-value <0.05.
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Table 2. Pearson correlation coefficient (r) and p-values for correlation of mean corneal power and cylinder power among the ante-
rior and posterior corneal surfaces and the total cornea
Anterior vs. posterior Anterior vs. total
r p-value r p-value
Keratoconus (n = 33)
Corneal power -0.866 <0.001 0.983 <0.001
Cylinder power 0.686 <0.001 0.908 <0.001
Control (n = 33)
Corneal power -0.871 <0.001 0.962 <0.001
Cylinder power 0.650 <0.001 0.963 <0.001
and total cornea was positively correlated with posterior The mean magnitude of the vector difference between
corneal cylinder power (R 2 = 0.240 and p = 0.004 in the the astigmatism of the simulated K and the total cornea of
keratoconus group, R 2 = 0.592 and p < 0.001 in the control the keratoconus group, 0.67 ± 0.67 CD, was significantly
group) (Fig. 3) and negatively correlated with the absolute greater than that of the control group, 0.28 ± 0.12 CD ( p =
flat meridian difference between the simulated K and total 0.002) (Table 3 and Fig. 5A, 5B), although the mean abso-
cornea in both groups (R 2 = 0.370 and p < 0.001 in the ker- lute corneal power difference between the simulated K
atoconus group, R 2 = 0.592 and p < 0.001 in the control and total cornea was not significantly different between
group) (Fig. 4). the two groups. The magnitude of the vector difference
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Y Choi, et al. Corneal Astigmatism in Keratoconus Eyes
2.0 9.0
8.0
7.0
1.5
Posterior corneal cylinder power (CD)
5.0
1.0
4.0
3.0
0.5
2.0
1.0
0.0 0.0
0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0 7.0 8.0 9.0 0.0 1.0 2.0 3.0 4.0 5.0 6.0 7.0 8.0 9.0
Anterior corneal cylinder power (CD) Anterior corneal cylinder power (CD)
Fig. 1. Linear regression analysis of the relationship between Fig. 2. Linear regression analysis of the relationship between an-
anterior and posterior corneal cylinder power. The solid line rep- terior and total corneal cylinder power. The solid line represents
resents a linear regression line (Y = 0.156X + 0.270, R 2 = 0.470, a linear regression line (Y = 0.914X + 0.361, R 2 = 0.824, p < 0.001)
p < 0.001) for the keratoconus group (filled triangles), and the for the keratoconus group (filled triangles), and the dashed line
dashed line represents a linear regression line (Y = 0.174X + 0.194, represents a linear regression line (Y = 0.894X - 0.011, R 2 = 0.928,
R 2 = 0.422, p < 0.001) for the normal controls (open circles). CD = p < 0.001) for the normal controls (open circles). CD = cylinder
cylinder diopters. diopters.
2.5 2.5
2.0 2.0
1.5 1.5
Cylinder power difference between the
Cylinder power difference between the
1.0 1.0
0.5 0.5
0.0 0.0
-0.5 -0.5
-1.0 -1.0
-1.5 -1.5
-2.0 -2.0
-2.5 -2.5
0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 0 15 30 45 60 75 90
Posterior corneal cylinder power (CD) Absolute flat meridian difference between
simulated K and total corner (˚)
Fig. 3. Linear regression analysis of the relationship between pos- Fig. 4. Linear regression analysis of the relationship between ab-
terior corneal cylinder power and cylinder power difference be- solute flat meridian difference and cylinder power difference be-
tween the simulated keratometry (K) and total cornea. The solid tween the simulated keratometry (K) and total cornea. The solid
line represents a linear regression line (Y = 0.928X - 0.868, R 2 = line represents a linear regression line (Y = -0.027X + 0.249, R 2 =
0.240, p = 0.004) for the keratoconus group (filled triangles), and 0.370, p < 0.001) for the keratoconus group (filled triangles), and
the dashed line represents a linear regression line (Y = 0.786X - the dashed line represents a linear regression line (Y = -0.010X
0.172, R 2 = 0.592, p < 0.001) for the normal controls (open circles). + 0.300, R 2 = 0.592, p < 0.001) for the normal controls (open cir-
CD = cylinder diopters. cles). CD = cylinder diopters.
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Table 3. Comparison of corneal power difference, magnitude of the vector difference of astigmatism, and flat meridian difference
between simulated K and the total cornea (Student’s t-test)
Parameter Keratoconus (n = 33) Control (n = 33) p-value
MAKDSimK-Tot (D) 1.14 ± 0.39 0.98 ± 0.39 0.119
MMVDSimK-Tot (CD) 0.67 ± 0.67 0.28 ± 0.12 0.002
MAMDSimK-Tot (degree) 2.3 ± 3.8 9.2 ± 12.6 0.005
Values are presented as mean ± standard deviation.
K = keratometry; MAKDSimK-Tot = mean absolute corneal power (K) difference between the simulated K and total cornea; D = diopters;
MMVDSimK-Tot = mean magnitude of vector difference between the astigmatism of the simulated K and total cornea; CD = cylinder diop-
ters; MAMDSimK-Tot = mean absolute flat meridian difference between the simulated K and total cornea.
A B
Each ring = 0.5 D, outer ring = 3.0 D Each ring = 0.5 D, outer ring = 3.0 D
Fig. 5. Double-angle plots of the vector difference between the astigmatism of the anterior corneal surface and total cornea. The red el-
lipse indicates one standard deviation. (A) Keratoconus group. (B) Normal controls. D = diopters.
between the astigmatism of the simulated K and total cor- Our analysis indicated that 100.0% of the keratoconus
nea was a maximum of 2.42 CD in the keratoconus group group and 87.9% of the control group had WTR astigma-
and 0.77 CD in the control group. In contrast, the mean ab- tism on the anterior corneal surface, and 93.9% of the ker-
solute flat meridian difference between the simulated K atoconus group and 90.9% of the control group had ATR
and total cornea of the keratoconus group, 2.3 ± 3.8 de- astigmatism on the posterior corneal surface (Table 4).
grees, was significantly smaller than that of the control There were no significant differences between the two
group, 9.2 ± 12.6 degrees ( p = 0.005) (Table 3). The per- groups in the proportions of anterior and posterior corneal
centage of eyes with a flat meridian difference between the astigmatism according to the flat meridian.
simulated K and total cornea >10 degrees in the keratoco-
nus group, 9.1%, was significantly smaller than that in the
control group, 30.3% (p = 0.030).
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Table 4. Anterior and posterior corneal astigmatism proportions according to the flat meridian in each group (chi-square test)
Anterior corneal astigmatism Posterior corneal astigmatism
WTR Oblique ATR WTR Oblique ATR
Keratoconus (n = 33) 33 (100.0) 0 (0.0) 0 (0.0) 2 (6.1) 0 (0.0) 31 (93.9)
Control (n = 33) 29 (87.9) 3 (9.1) 1 (3.0) 1 (3.0) 2 (6.1) 30 (90.9)
p-value 0.119 0.309
Values are presented as number (%).
WTR = with-the-rule astigmatism; ATR = against-the-rule astigmatism.
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