RISK PROFILE OF KERATOCONUS: A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL BASED STUDY

Background: The study aimed to assess the risk factors implicated in the causation of keratoconus and the demographic profile of the patients diagnosed as keratoconus. Materials and Methods: This retrospective, observational, hospital-based study included 376 patients presenting to the ophthalmology outpatient department of a tertiary care hospital in Kashmir from January 2022 to December 2022. Written informed consent was obtained from all participants after explaining the nature of the study.A well-designed questionnaire was used to collect the data of the recruited patients.The demographic characteristics like age, gender, residence were noted and the role of certain risk factors associated with causation of keratoconus was noted. Results: The mean age of participants was 21.8 ± 4.7 years (range, 9-32). The study participants were 58.6% (n = 220/376) males and 41.4% (n = 156/376) females. Majority of the participants belonged to urban areas(55.60%) than rural areas(44.4%). The maximum association of keratoconus was found with eye rubbing(61.2%) followed by male gender (58.6%) and age group 21-30 years (51%). Conclusion: We conclude that eye rubbing is the most significant risk factor, followed by exposure to sunlight and ocular allergy. The findings of our study corroborate that the etiology of keratoconus is multifactorial.