{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,22]],"date-time":"2026-04-22T11:42:23Z","timestamp":1776858143342,"version":"3.51.2"},"reference-count":15,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,21]],"date-time":"2026-04-21T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1776729600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Life"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Keratoconus is a progressive corneal condition that leads to visual impairment and is primarily managed with corneal cross-linking (CXL), a procedure designed to halt its progression. However, while the clinical outcomes of CXL are well-documented, its impact on patient well-being, including postoperative pain and recovery, remains underexplored. This study aimed to evaluate postoperative pain, functional limitations, visual recovery, and patient-reported outcomes following corneal cross-linking (CXL) for keratoconus. Methods: A structured survey was conducted among 31 patients who underwent CXL for keratoconus. The survey assessed postoperative pain using a Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) and collected information on visual recovery, functional limitations, and the socioeconomic effects of the procedure. Clinical data, including best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and keratometry, were also recorded before and after CXL to evaluate the procedure\u2019s efficacy. Results: The study found that postoperative pain was moderate, with a mean pain score of 6.06 \u00b1 1.82, typically lasting 1\u20133 days. Nearly 54.8% of patients reported significant disruption to daily activities, including missing work or studies, and 77.4% experienced some degree of functional limitation. A statistically significant correlation was observed between postoperative pain intensity and quality-of-life impairment (Spearman\u2019s \u03c1 = 0.503, p = 0.004). Despite these challenges, 93.5% of participants reported improvement in vision, with most recovering within a week. Objective clinical data supported the effectiveness of the procedure. Conclusions: Corneal cross-linking is associated with favorable clinical outcomes; however, the early postoperative period is characterized by moderate pain and functional limitations, highlighting the importance of patient-centered care.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/life16040694","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,22]],"date-time":"2026-04-22T10:38:14Z","timestamp":1776854294000},"page":"694","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Postoperative Pain and Functional Limitations After Corneal Cross-Linking for Keratoconus: A Patient-Reported Outcome Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Ruta","family":"Jaruseviciene","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, M. K. Ciurlionio Str. 21, LT-03101 Vilnius, Lithuania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-8527-7196","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gintare","family":"Kirkickaite","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, M. K. Ciurlionio Str. 21, LT-03101 Vilnius, Lithuania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0935-840X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Saulius","family":"Galgauskas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Institute of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, M. K. Ciurlionio Str. 21, LT-03101 Vilnius, Lithuania"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,21]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"101559","DOI":"10.1016\/j.clae.2021.101559","article-title":"Keratoconus: An updated review","volume":"45","author":"Carracedo","year":"2022","journal-title":"Contact Lens Anterior Eye"},{"key":"ref_2","first-page":"1","article-title":"Keratoconus: Is it a non-inflammatory disease?","volume":"6","author":"Gatzioufas","year":"2017","journal-title":"Med. Hypothesis Discov. Innov. Ophthalmol."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"382","DOI":"10.4103\/0301-4738.116054","article-title":"Epidemiology of keratoconus","volume":"61","author":"Gokhale","year":"2013","journal-title":"Indian J. Ophthalmol."},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"245","DOI":"10.1007\/s40123-017-0099-1","article-title":"Keratoconus treatment algorithm","volume":"6","author":"Andreanos","year":"2017","journal-title":"Ophthalmol. Ther."},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2705","DOI":"10.2147\/OPTH.S392665","article-title":"Keratoconus diagnosis and treatment: Recent advances and future directions","volume":"17","author":"Bui","year":"2023","journal-title":"Clin. Ophthalmol."},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e105","DOI":"10.1111\/aos.15686","article-title":"Analysis of the outcomes of three different cross-linking protocols for treatment of paediatric keratoconus: A multicentre randomized controlled trial","volume":"102","author":"Iqbal","year":"2024","journal-title":"Acta Ophthalmol."},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"768","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ajo.2010.10.034","article-title":"The lifetime economic burden of keratoconus: A decision analysis using a Markov model","volume":"151","author":"Rebenitsch","year":"2011","journal-title":"Am. J. 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Surg."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"821","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ajo.2015.02.005","article-title":"Transepithelial versus epithelium-off corneal cross-linking for the treatment of progressive keratoconus: A randomized controlled trial","volume":"159","author":"Soeters","year":"2015","journal-title":"Am. J. Ophthalmol."},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1466","DOI":"10.4103\/ijo.IJO_1595_21","article-title":"Complications of corneal collagen cross-linking","volume":"70","author":"Agarwal","year":"2022","journal-title":"Indian J. Ophthalmol."},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"8285649","DOI":"10.1155\/2019\/8285649","article-title":"10-year results of standard cross-linking in patients with progressive keratoconus in Romania","volume":"2019","author":"Nicula","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. Ophthalmol."},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1259","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ophtha.2017.03.052","article-title":"United States multicenter clinical trial of corneal collagen crosslinking for keratoconus treatment","volume":"124","author":"Hersh","year":"2017","journal-title":"Ophthalmology"},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Lang, S.J., Messmer, E.M., Geerling, G., Mackert, M.J., Brunner, T., Dollak, S., Kutchoukov, B., B\u00f6hringer, D., Reinhard, T., and Maier, P. (2015). Prospective, randomized, double-blind trial to investigate the efficacy and safety of corneal cross-linking to halt the progression of keratoconus. BMC Ophthalmol., 15.","DOI":"10.1186\/s12886-015-0070-7"}],"container-title":["Life"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2075-1729\/16\/4\/694\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,22]],"date-time":"2026-04-22T10:57:42Z","timestamp":1776855462000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2075-1729\/16\/4\/694"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,21]]},"references-count":15,"journal-issue":{"issue":"4","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4]]}},"alternative-id":["life16040694"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/life16040694","relation":{},"ISSN":["2075-1729"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2075-1729","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,21]]}}}