EARLY DETECTION OF SUBCLINICAL KERATOCONUS USING OPTICAL COHERENCE TOMOGRAPHY (LITERATURE REVIEW)

The evaluation of final corneal epithelial thickness measurements, especially during preoperative screening for refractive surgery, has begun to receive special attention in both clinical and scientific research. Local or diffuse epithelial pachymetry topographic abnormalities can significantly affect the overall corneal refractive power and may mask some underlying stromal abnormalities. Therefore, separate analysis of the corneal epithelium and stroma may provide additional information for the diagnosis of keratoconus. Assessment of focal epithelial thickness variation using Anterior Segment High-Resolution Optical Coherence Tomography (AS-OCT) is considered a more sensitive method for the early detection of keratoconus in eyes with normal topography and clinical parameters. This is particularly important for the early diagnosis of the disease, especially in selecting appropriate strategies for the prevention and treatment of iatrogenic keratectasia. Corneal epithelial imaging is an important and must-have tool in the armamentarium of a refractive surgeon. Key words: subclinical keratoconus, optical coherence tomography, iatrogenic keratectasia, corneal epithelial thickness, medical diagnostic devices