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Keratoconus pp 141–150Cite as

Role of Corneal Biomechanics in the Diagnosis and Management of Keratoconus

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Part of the book series: Essentials in Ophthalmology ((ESSENTIALS))

Abstract

Keratoconus, the occurrence and development of which is associated with corneal thinning and conical protrusion causing irregular astigmatism, is a bilateral non-inflammatory degenerative corneal disease. With the disruption of the collagen organisation, the cornea loses its shape and function resulting in progressive visual degradation. Currently, corneal topography remains the most important tool for the diagnosis of keratoconus. However, this approach may lead to false negatives among the patient population in the subclinical phase. It is now hypothesised that biomechanical destabilisation of the cornea may take place ahead of the topographic evidence of keratoconus. Therefore, accurate characterisation of in vivo biomechanical properties could possibly be used to assist with diagnosis and management, particularly in the early stages of the disease. This chapter provides a summary of the definition, diagnosis and management strategies for keratoconus based on corneal biomechanics.

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Compliance with Ethical Requirements

FangJun Bao, Brendan Geraghty, QinMei Wang and Ahmed Elsheikh declare that they have no conflict of interest. No human or animal studies were carried out by the authors for this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Eye Hospital, WenZhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325027, China

    FangJun Bao Ph.D., M.D. & QinMei Wang M.D.

  2. The Institution of Ocular Biomechanics, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325027, China

    FangJun Bao Ph.D., M.D. & QinMei Wang M.D.

  3. School of Engineering, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L69 3GH, UK

    Brendan Geraghty Ph.D. & Ahmed Elsheikh Ph.D.

  4. NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Ophthalmology, Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, Liverpool, UK

    Ahmed Elsheikh Ph.D.

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  1. FangJun Bao Ph.D., M.D.
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  3. QinMei Wang M.D.
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  4. Ahmed Elsheikh Ph.D.
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Correspondence to FangJun Bao Ph.D., M.D. .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Keratoconus Unit Department of Refractive Surgery, Vissum Alicante, Alicante, Spain

    Jorge L. Alió

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Bao, F., Geraghty, B., Wang, Q., Elsheikh, A. (2017). Role of Corneal Biomechanics in the Diagnosis and Management of Keratoconus. In: Alió, J. (eds) Keratoconus. Essentials in Ophthalmology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-43881-8_12

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