CLEK Study Review

Dr. Sumitra Khandelwal takes a deep dive into the landmark CLEK study, which shaped our understanding of keratoconus progression. 📊🔬 This pivotal trial followed 1,000 keratoconus patients over nearly a decade, confirming key insights: ✅ Progression is common, especially in younger patients ✅ Atopic disease accelerates progression ✅ Visual quality declines over time, even with seemingly good acuity Before CLEK, the impact of corneal irregularity on vision was poorly understood. Now, we know the importance of early screening and treatment, including cross-linking and specialty contact lenses. #Keratoconus #CLEKStudy #Ophthalmology #Eyecare #Eyehealth References: Wagner H, Barr JT, Zadnik K. Collaborative Longitudinal Evaluation of Keratoconus (CLEK) Study: methods and findings to date. Cont Lens Anterior Eye. 2007 Sep;30(4):223-32. doi: 10.1016/j.clae.2007.03.001. Epub 2007 May 3. PMID: 17481941; PMCID: PMC3966142. Barr, Joseph T. OD, MS1; Zadnik, Karla OD, PhD2; Gordon, Mae O. PhD3; Edrington, Timothy B. OD, MS4. THE COLLABORATIVE LONGITUDINAL EVALUATION OF KERATOCONUS (CLEK) STUDY: HISTORICAL DATA AND STUDY DESIGN: Poster # P (AI-411). Optometry and Vision Science 71(12):p 33-34, December 1994.