RESEARCH INTERESTS
An increasingly common visual management option for keratoconic patients is the use of scleral contact lenses. With corneal crosslinking being FDA approved for the treatment of progressive keratoconus in 2016, specialty contact lens fitters typically see these patients before and after treatment. As scleral lenses are fit on the sclera, fitters are interested in if there are changes to the scleral shape after corneal crosslinking that can help guide the fitting process. There have been ex-vivo studies indicating changes to scleral collagen structure and permeability after crosslinking with riboflavin and UV light, even outside of the irradiation zone. Additionally, there have been provider reports indicating that scleral lenses fit differently after the crosslinking procedure. My research is looking into how the scleral shape changes after crosslinking and if there are any identifiable patterns that can help direct specialty lens fitters achieve a faster fit process.