Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of collagen cross-linking (CXL) one year after treatment for keratoconus compared to no treatment by summarizing randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using a systematic review.
Methods: Trials meeting the selection criteria were quality appraised, and the data were extracted by two independent authors. The outcome parameters included maximum keratometry (Kmax), corneal thickness at the thinnest point, best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BSCVA), uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA), spherical equivalent (SE) refraction, and cylindrical refraction one year after CXL. We compared the changes in the above parameters with the control group.
Results: We identified five RCTs involving 289 eyes that met the eligibility criteria for this systematic review. The changes in BSCVA from baseline to one year exhibited a significant difference between the two groups. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups for changes in corneal thickness and cylindrical refraction. We did not conduct a meta-analysis in Kmax, UCVA, and SE refraction because their I2 values were greater than 50%.
Conclusions: According to the systematic review, CXL may be effective in halting the progression of keratoconus for one year under certain conditions, although evidence is limited due to the significant heterogeneity and paucity of RCTs.