Clinicians might consider upgrading their corneal collagen crosslinking (CXL) follow-ups with spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), according to new data.

Researchers in Lebanon recently found evaluating post-CXL haze with OCT provided valuable information to help guide post-op management. Results of their study were published in the July issue of Cornea. Using SD-OCT images of 44 eyes of 44 patients who underwent CXL, they found corneal haze improved significantly at one, three and six months post-op. More specifically, the location of the haze had a significant impact on its dissipation over time. “Anterior stromal haze was the greatest in intensity and area and it was present for a longer time span than mid and posterior stromal haze,” the authors said.

Even a year after CXL, the participants’ anterior stromas continued to have more haze than was recorded preoperatively.

“This image-based software can provide objective and valuable quantitative measurements of corneal haze, which may impact clinical decision-making after different corneal surgeries,” the study concluded.