title: Demographics of patients older than 50 years with keratoconus.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was designed to determine the demographics of patients aged 50 years or more with a diagnosis of keratoconus, who were seen on the Cornea Service at Wills Eye Hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective chart review of all patients with the diagnosis of keratoconus was undertaken to identify demographics characteristics between January 1, 2005 and December 31, 2005.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 697 patients were identified. Two hundred seventy-nine (40.0%) patients were age 50 years or more. The age ranged from 50 to 93 years (average 60.2 +/- 8.2 years). Keratoconus was diagnosed as a bilateral disease in 266 (95.3%) and as a unilateral disease in 13 patients (4.7%). In 186 patients (66.6% of the total), the average age at the time of diagnosis was 31.7 +/- 10.9 years (range from 13 to 70 years). Of the 279 patients, 167 had surgery (59.8%). In the group of 112 patients that did not have surgery, 25 (9.0%) were treated with glasses in both eyes, 85 (30.5%) with contact lenses in both eyes, and 2 (0.7%) with glasses in one eye and contact lenses in the other eye. The average time of follow-up was 13.6 +/- 10.5 years (range from 0.1 to 38.7 years).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In a corneal referral practice, the number of patients older than 50 years with keratoconus is higher than previously reported in the literature. We believe that this is because our practice has a strong interest in both contact lenses and corneal surgery with the ability to follow up patients on a long-term basis.
authors.affiliation: Wills Eye Hospital, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Elvin H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Yildiz
authors.forename: Guilherme F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Diehl
authors.forename: Elisabeth J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: Kristin M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Hammersmith
authors.forename: Peter R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Laibson
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Rapuano
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003261:Contact Lenses / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016039:Corneal Transplantation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003710:Demography; D005139:Eyeglasses / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007640:Keratoconus / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013508:Ophthalmologic Surgical Procedures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution