Levels of collagen degradation products (telopeptides) in the tear film ofpatients with keratoconus

Purpose. Levels of collagen degradation products (telopeptides) in the tear film of patients with keratoconus were measured to study the release of te lopeptides in the tears. Methods. Tear samples were collected from 26 kerat oconus patients and 36 age-similar human control subjects. Levels of telope ptides were quantified and compared between the two groups. Results. The te lopeptide level in tears from keratoconus patients was 2.5-fold higher than in tears from the control group. The telopeptide concentration was age-dep endent in both groups. In tears from young people, telopeptide level was 2- fold higher than in tears from the older people. Conclusion. The tear film of patients with keratoconus contains higher levels of telopeptides than th ose of control subjects. Determination of telopeptide levels in tears could be useful for the follow-up of keratoconus development in patients.