Patient right profile
Case #72
The patient

Bilateral Asymmetric Keratoconus induced by eye rubbing
Identity : Mr N.W
First visit : 09/12/2017
Last Visit : 01/23/2018
Mr. N.W is a 27-year-old male with no previous medical history or any known family history of keratoconus. He complained of a progressive decrease in visual acuity greater in the right eye than the left.
His refraction at the first visit at the Rothschild Foundation (on 09/03th/2017) was : Right Eye (RE) 20/25 with+0.25 (-2.5 x 70 °) and Left Eye (LE) 20/20 with -0.5 (-0.75 x 115 °).
Clinical examination with the slit lamp suggested a thin and irregular right cornea with Fleischer ring. Fleischer rings are pigmented rings in the peripheral cornea, resulting from iron deposition in basal epithelial cells, in the form of hemosiderin.
Corneal topography performed at our institution showed the presence of a unilateral keratoconus in the right eye.
At the first visit, when asked about the possibility of frequent eye rubbing, the patient admitted to rubbing his eyes when he awoke in the mornings or when working in front of the computer. Rubbing his eyes at work brought relief to his tired eyes and also evoked pleasurable sensations.
He is left handed but rubbed his right eye with his right hand. The patient sleeps on his right side, with the head buried in the pillow (pillow hugging).
We explained to the patient that since vigorous rubbing had preceded the drop in visual acuity, this habit may have caused the cornea to deform, leading to the classic clinical presentation of keratoconus in his case.
We strongly advised this patient to stop rubbing his eyes and to change his unhealthy sleeping position.
Here are pictures of the patient rubbing his eyes and his profiles




Here are the Orbscan quadmaps, Pentacam maps, OPD scans and Ocular Response Analyzer (ORA) results of the first visit.
Difference maps were performed at each subsequent visit. No evolution was observed between the first and last visits. The keratoconus is stable, more than 4 months after the patient definitively stopped rubbing his eyes .
In this case we find many triggers for eye rubbing like extended computer work and an unhealthy sleeping position (« pillow hugging »). The unilateral or asymmetric nature of keratoconus development may be related to the sleeping position (right sided) and the habit of preferentially rubbing the right eye.
This case is very informative and demonstrative of the causal effects of eye rubbing in the pathogenesis of keratoconus. Cross-linking is unnecessary in this case, as stabilisation of the corneal deformation was achieved with the simple act of cessation of eye rubbing.
As demonstrated again in this clinical example, the cessation of eye rubbing and patient education are the best tools in the prevention of the genesis and/or evolution of keratoconus.
Autres cas :
- Date 28 janvier 2018
- Tags Allergy, Asymmetric, Bilateral keratoconus, Computer screen, Enjoyed eye rubbing, Eye rubbing, Inferior keratoconus, Knuckles rubbing, Male, Sleep position, Stabilization