SUPERIOR KERATOCONUS

Course overview

SUPERIOR KERATOCONUS IS A RARE PROGRESSIVE CORNEAL CONDITION CHARACTERIZED BY SUPERIOR CORNEAL THINNING AND STEEPENING. ALTHOUGH CONTROVERSY PERSISTS REGARDING THE CONDITION'S OCCURRENCE, SEVERAL CASES HAVE BEEN DOCUMENTED AND CONFIRMED BASED ON CORNEAL TOPOGRAPHY. RISK FACTORS ARE SIMILAR TO THOSE OF GENERAL KERATOCONUS AND MAY INCLUDE A HISTORY OF ATOPY, GENETIC CONDITIONS, AND FAMILY HISTORY. PATHOPHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS ARE ALSO SIMILAR TO THOSE OF GENERAL KERATOCONUS AND MAY INCLUDE ABNORMAL EXPRESSION OF PROTEINS INVOLVED IN THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF THE CORNEA AND A POTENTIAL IMBALANCE BETWEEN ANTIOXIDANTS AND OXIDATIVE STRESSORS.PATIENTS MAY EXPERIENCE PROGRESSIVE AND WORSENING VISUAL ACUITY, WITH ASSOCIATED GLARE, HALOS, AND PHOTOPHOBIA. CLINICAL EXAMINATION FINDINGS MAY INCLUDE SUPERIOR CORNEAL THINNING AND STEEPENING, SUPERIOR VOGT STRIAE, BREAKS IN THE BOWMAN OR DESCEMET MEMBRANE, FLEISCHER RINGS, AND SCISSORING REFLEX ON RETINOSCOPY. COMPLICATIONS MAY INCLUDE PROGRESSIVE MYOPIA, ACUTE CORNEAL HYDROPS, AND CORNEAL STROMAL SCARRING. TREATMENT OPTIONS LARGELY DEPEND ON DISEASE PROGRESSION AND SEVERITY AND MAY INCLUDE CONTACT LENSES, CORNEAL CROSS-LINKING, CORNEAL TRANSPLANTATION, AND INTRASTROMAL CORNEAL RING SEGMENTS.THIS ACTIVITY FOR HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS ENHANCES LEARNERS' COMPETENCE IN EVALUATING AND MANAGING SUPERIOR KERATOCONUS. PARTICIPANTS GAIN A BROADER GRASP OF THE CONDITION'S RISK FACTORS, PATHOGENESIS, CLINICAL PRESENTATION, AND BEST DIAGNOSTIC AND THERAPEUTIC PRACTICES. GREATER COMPETENCE EQUIPS LEARNERS TO COLLABORATE EFFECTIVELY WITHIN AN INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM CARING FOR PATIENTS WITH SUPERIOR KERATOCONUS.