BMC Ophthalmology
Cure8 research brief
Risk factors for keratoconus: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Complications
Systematic Review or Meta Analysis
Clinicians
Researchers
Adult patients
Inflammatory bowel disease
Why This Matters
Keratoconus can threaten vision; identifying risk factors helps clinicians and patients consider prevention, early detection, and targeted eye care. Some commonly encountered issues in people with IBD—like dry eye or systemic inflammation—were evaluated but not clearly linked in this analysis.
Who Should Pay Attention
Ophthalmologists, optometrists, clinicians who care for people with allergic disease or obesity, researchers studying keratoconus risk, and adult patients concerned about eye health.
Study Snapshot
Story typeResearch paper
Evidence typeResearch paper
Source depthJournal abstract
What To Know
This paper is a systematic review and meta-analysis that pooled data from 33 studies (over 1.5 million individuals) to identify factors associated with keratoconus (a progressive corneal disorder).
It reports higher odds of keratoconus with family history, eye rubbing, several allergic conditions (including allergic dermatitis/eczema, asthma, allergic rhinitis, and eye allergy), inappropriate sleeping position, dry eye disease, and obesity, while smoking showed an inverse association.
Inflammatory bowel disease and diabetes were not significantly associated in the pooled analyses. The study used standard meta-analytic methods (multiple databases searched to Sept 2025, JBI quality assessment, subgroup analyses by region and age, and tests for publication bias).
The authors note heterogeneity across studies and call for standardized definitions and severity gradings to better understand causality and prevention strategies. This brief is grounded in the article abstract provided by the journal (structured-content depth: abstract); Cure8 has not reviewed the full paper beyond the supplied abstract.
Keep In Mind
This summary is based on the article abstract (systematic review and meta-analysis). The authors report heterogeneity across included studies and recommend standardized definitions; this means findings should be interpreted cautiously and do not establish causation.
Source Details
Review the original publication for the complete reporting, methods, and context.
Research paper
Evidence type derived from source or registry metadata.
PublicationBMC Ophthalmology
AuthorsRuzhi Chen, Xiaojie Ou, Qingyan Zeng
InstitutionWuhan Hankou Hospital
Study typeArticle
Indexed viaOpenAlex
Source typeResearch paper
PublishedAug 8, 2026, 12:00 AM
Content availableJournal abstract
This Cure8 brief is based on source text from the linked article. Cure8 is informational only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
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