Largest-Ever Study of Cornea Condition Reveals Hidden Risk Factors, U-M Team Reports (Research To Prevent Blindness)

 

A large new study reveals previously unknown risk factors associated with an eye condition that causes serious progressive nearsightedness at a relatively young age. The findings, made through the largest-ever clinical study of the condition called keratoconus, could help more people receive newer treatments that can slow the problem and protect their vision.

 

Keratoconus makes the rounded, clear covering of the eye, called the cornea, weak, which leads it to become cone-shaped over time. The last decade has brought new treatment options, but many people don’t receive a diagnosis early enough to take full advantage of them. The new study shows that men, African-Americans and Latinos, and people with asthma, sleep apnea or Down syndrome, have much higher odds of developing keratoconus. But females, Asian-Americans and people with diabetes appear to have a lower risk, the analysis shows.

 

The findings, made by researchers at the University of Michigan Health System’s Kellogg Eye Center and the U-M Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, are published online ahead of print in the journal Ophthalmology. . .