Keratoconus Progression Meta-Analysis with 30,342 Untreated Eyes

Ninety-two studies encompassing 30,342 untreated keratoconus eyes were included in this updated systematic review and meta-analysis. The work, authored by Tsung-Hsien Tsai and last updated in April 2026, pools longitudinal data from PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus to quantify disease progression over time.

Use Cases

• Predicting keratoconus progression rates based on baseline corneal curvature (Kmean) and patient age.
• Modeling time-dependent changes in maximum keratometry (Kmax) for untreated patients.
• Developing risk stratification models using a multidimensional approach with conventional and advanced diagnostic metrics.
• Analyzing the relationship between corneal thickness deterioration and disease progression over periods exceeding 12 months.

Strengths

• Meta-analysis includes 92 studies and data from 30,342 untreated eyes, providing a substantial evidence base.
• Quantifies progression with specific metrics: mean Kmax change of 1.21 D over >12 months.
• Identifies specific predictors: each 1-D increase in baseline Kmean predicted a 0.54-D increase in Kmax at 12 months.
• Uses an updated systematic review methodology with searches from database inception to September 2025.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data may reflect publication bias inherent to systematic reviews of medical literature.

Provenance

Source

figshare

Collection Method

Systematic review and meta-analysis of studies from PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus.

Time Range

Studies from database inception to September 25, 2025.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-04-14 05:20:13

Geography

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