M. Belin: Diagnosing & Staging Keratoconus: The "ABCD" Keratoconus Staging & Progression System

Michael Belin, MD: New Methods of Diagnosing & Staging Keratoconus: The "ABCD" Keratoconus Staging & Progression System

Corneal crosslinking has revolutionized the treatment of keratoconus. While there have been numerous controlled trials that have found it to be safe and effective to halt ectatic progression, these studies evaluated patients with more advanced disease who have already lost visual acuity. Currently there is no clear definition of ectasia progression. Surgeons must be able to objectively diagnose progressive disease in the earliest stage order to institute timely treatment and preferably prior to loss of vision. The new Belin ABCD grading system and progression analysis incorporated into the OCULUS Pentacam® software provides an objective way of assessing progression over time and should allow for earlier treatment in the patients most at risk for visual loss.