{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,7]],"date-time":"2026-10-07T15:06:42Z","timestamp":1791385602972,"version":"4.3.3"},"reference-count":26,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,25]],"date-time":"2022-01-25T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1643068800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: This paper\u2019s objective is to analyze patients with keratoconus who developed sterile infiltrate after corneal collagen cross-linking (CXL), and to evaluate possible risk factors for their occurrence. Methods: 543 medical histories of patients after cross-linking (Epi-off, Epi-on) procedure performed according to the Dresden protocol were analyzed retrospectively. Results: Sterile corneal infiltrates occurred in four men (0.7%) in the age range (16\u201328) years, the average age being 20.3. The average time from procedure to onset of symptoms was 3.5 days (2\u20135 days). Inflammatory infiltration resolved in all patients, leaving scars on corneal stroma in two patients. Corneal healing time ranged from 4\u201312 weeks. In vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM), round inflammatory cells, and Langerhans cells in the epithelium and Bowman\u2019s layer were observed at the site of infiltration. The Optical coherence tomography (OCT) shows hyperreflective lesions of various sizes which decreased over time. The corneal topographic parameters and Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) improved after the CXL procedure in all of the described cases. Conclusions: Most likely, damage to the epithelium and the phototoxic effect of the procedure is of significant importance in the formation of sterile corneal infiltrates. Appropriate classification and selection of CXL procedures in combination with protective measures in people at risk may have an overwhelming impact on the incidence of this complication.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm11030585","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,25]],"date-time":"2022-01-25T20:40:18Z","timestamp":1643143218000},"page":"585","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":10,"title":["Retrospective Analysis of Sterile Corneal Infiltrates in Patients with Keratoconus after Cross-Linking Procedure"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"11","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9362-0652","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Magdalena","family":"Krok","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Chair and Clinical Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, Panewnicka 65 Street, 40-760 Katowice, Poland"},{"name":"Ophthalmology of Department, District Railway Hospital, Panewnicka 65 Street, 40-760 Katowice, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ewa","family":"Wr\u00f3blewska-Czajka","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Chair and Clinical Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, Panewnicka 65 Street, 40-760 Katowice, Poland"},{"name":"Ophthalmology of Department, District Railway Hospital, Panewnicka 65 Street, 40-760 Katowice, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Joanna","family":"Kokot","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Chair and Clinical Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, Panewnicka 65 Street, 40-760 Katowice, Poland"},{"name":"Ophthalmology of Department, District Railway Hospital, Panewnicka 65 Street, 40-760 Katowice, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1431-9325","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Anna","family":"Mici\u0144ska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Chair and Clinical Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, Panewnicka 65 Street, 40-760 Katowice, Poland"},{"name":"Ophthalmology of Department, District Railway Hospital, Panewnicka 65 Street, 40-760 Katowice, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6707-5790","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Edward","family":"Wyl\u0119ga\u0142a","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Chair and Clinical Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, Panewnicka 65 Street, 40-760 Katowice, Poland"},{"name":"Ophthalmology of Department, District Railway Hospital, Panewnicka 65 Street, 40-760 Katowice, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8768-1691","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dariusz","family":"Dobrowolski","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Chair and Clinical Department of Ophthalmology, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia, Panewnicka 65 Street, 40-760 Katowice, Poland"},{"name":"Ophthalmology of Department, District Railway Hospital, Panewnicka 65 Street, 40-760 Katowice, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,1,25]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"297","DOI":"10.1016\/S0039-6257(97)00119-7","article-title":"Keratoconus","volume":"42","author":"Rabinowitz","year":"1998","journal-title":"Surv. 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