ISSN: 2155-9570
Bogumil Wowra, Dariusz Dobrowolski, Neil Lagali, Robert Ihnatko, Anna Nowinska, Per Fagerholm and Edward Wylegala
Medical University of Silesia, Poland
Link�¶ping University, Sweden
Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Clin Exp Ophthalmol
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to document the clinical status of Aniridia-associated keratopathy (AAK) and correlate this to the morphology of the cornea in a cohort of Aniridia patients from Poland. Methods: 128 patients with Aniridia underwent full bilateral corneal examination at the Eye Clinic of the District Railway Hospital in Katowice, Poland. Eyes were examined with slit lamp biomicroscopy, anterior segment OCT, contact esthesiometry, meibography and in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM). Additionally, tear film parameters were measured by the Schirmer method and the break up time test. Results: Grading of stage of AAK was performed from slit lamp examination, with AAK stage ranging from 0 to 4. Central corneal thickness and degree of iris absence was measured by OCT and confirmed an increased corneal thickness in AAK. Ocular surface sensitivity was reduced in patients, and corneal sub-basal nerve density and patterns were disrupted. The limbal stem cell niche was disrupted in all examined eyes, and corneas exhibited peripheral and central changes in epithelial cell phenotype that was analyzed with respect to AAK grade.