title: Topographic corneal changes in patients with vernal keratoconjunctivitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To carry out a case-control clinical study in patients with vernal keratoconjunctivitis, aiming at information about the anterior corneal curvature and visual performance using a quantitative corneal descriptor analyzer (Holladay Diagnostic Summary).
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined 342 eyes of 171 patients divided into 2 groups. Group 1 with 142 eyes of 71 patients with a clinical diagnosis of vernal keratoconjunctivitis (cases) and Group 2 with 200 eyes of 100 patients (controls) from the Department of Ophthalmology/"Santa Casa" of São Paulo. Patients were submitted to a complete examination and corneal topography with a quantitative corneal surface contour descriptor (Holladay Diagnostic Summary). Clinical and topographic criteria were established to diagnose keratoconus in both groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The frequency of patients with a clinical diagnosis of keratoconus associated with vernal keratoconjunctivitis in Group 1 was 9.85% (7 patients). According to topographic criteria, the frequency in Group 1 was 22.53% (16 patients). In Group 2, no patient presented biomicroscopic, refratometric or topographic characteristics of keratoconus. All studied topographic variables, including corneal asphericity, presented statistical significance (p<0.05) between the two groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results of this study suggested high frequency of patients with keratoconus associated with vernal keratoconjunctivitis. Visual performance is compromised by aberrations and changes in corneal asphericity and other topographic variables.
authors.affiliation: Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Santa Casa de Misericórdia de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil. pauloecdantas@uol.com.br
authors.forename: Paulo Elias Correa
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Dantas
authors.forename: Milton Ruiz
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Alves
authors.forename: Maria Cristina
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Nishiwaki-Dantas
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019781:Corneal Topography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007637:Keratoconjunctivitis / Q000150:complications*; D007640:Keratoconus / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D008297:Male