High-dose Dietary Riboflavin, Direct Sunlight Show Potential in Keratoconus

High-dose dietary riboflavin and direct sunlight exposure may be beneficial in the treatment of keratoconus and post-refractive surgery ectasia of the cornea, providing an inexpensive alternative treatment to corneal cross-linking, according to a poster presented at the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) Virtual Annual Meeting.

In this case series, researchers included 5 patients (6 eyes) with keratoconus or post-refractive ectasia that were treated with high-dose dietary riboflavin (≤1500 mg) and had up to 15 minutes of direct sunlight exposure per day.

At 6 months, average visual acuity improved from approximately 20/40 to approximately 20/20 and average corneal power decreased by 1.56 Diopters.

There were no reported side effects.

The authors concluded that further studies are needed but that “high-dose dietary riboflavin and direct sunlight UV exposure may provide a safe and inexpensive alternative and adjunctive treatment compared to standard, commercially available corneal cross-linking.”

Reference

Nguyen V and Jarstad JS. High-dose dietary riboflavin and direct sunlight exposure in the treatment of keratoconus and post-refractive surgery ectasia of the cornea. Poster presented at: American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) Virtual Annual Meeting. May 16, 2020.