Purpose: To find immunomediator combinations which could sensitively indicate keratoconus progression. Methods: Tear samples of 42 patients with keratoconus were collected at baseline and at the end of a one-year follow-up. The concentrations of 13 mediators were measured by CBA. Based on Pentacam HR examination, eyes were divided into a non-progressive and a progressive group. Results: At the end of the follow-up, significant differences were observed in the release of IFNγ, IL-13, IL-17A, CCL5, MMP-13 and PAI-1 between the two groups. Changes in five Pentacam parameters correlated positively with changes in IFNγ, IL-13, IL-17A, CXCL8, CCL5, TIMP-1 and t-PA. We found that tear level of IL-13 in combination with NGF can predict the progression of keratoconus with 100% specificity and 80% sensitivity. Conclusion: The findings of our longitudinal study may underscore the importance of NGF and IL-13 tear levels in the prediction of keratoconus progression.

We aimed to determine the effects of night-shift work on corneal parameters in thirty-five healthy individuals (24–59 years) in a retrospective cohort study. Among them, 12 hospital nurses regularly worked two shifts, spending a third of their nights awake, whereas 23 age-matched controls never worked shifts and slept regularly. Measurements were performed at least five times within 12 h. We analyzed the keratometric parameters of the corneal front (F) and back (B) surfaces, including the refractive power in the flattest and steepest axes (K1, K2), astigmatism (Astig); and corneal pachymetry (Pachy) at the thinnest corneal point and pupil center, volume relative to the 10 mm corneal diagonal (Vol D10); and surface variance index (ISV). A multilevel mixed-effects linear regression adjusted for age was applied to 905 measurements. All parameters exhibited significant periodic fluctuations (p ≤ 0.005). The two groups also showed significantly different periodic fluctuations (p ≤ 0.008), except in K1B and AstigB. K1/K2 (F and B), AstigF, Pachy, and ISV differed significantly (p < 0.0001). Surprisingly, prolonged night shift work did not increase the ISV, and no evidence of age-related corneal thinning was observed. Long-term night-shift exposures change various corneal parameters, reflecting both concomitant and adaptive effects. This study highlights the impact of consistent sleep deprivation on corneal properties, warranting further research into understanding the long-term effects of night-shift work.