Researchers in Taiwan investigated the risk of keratoconus in patients with atopic keratoconjunctivitis in a retrospective, matched cohort study that included 186,202 newly diagnosed patients.

Sixty-two patients with atopic keratoconjunctivitis and 26 controls developed keratoconus during the follow-up period. Before adjusting for confounders, the researchers found patients with atopic keratoconjunctivitis were 2.49 times more likely to develop keratoconus; after adjusting, the incidence rate was still significant at 2.25 times higher than controls.

The researchers concluded that patients with atopic keratoconjunctivitis are at an increased risk of developing keratoconus and clinicians should educate them of their risk.