Surkova V.K., Oganisian K.Kh.
EPIDEMIOLOGY OF CORNEAL ECTASIAS. LITERATURE REVIEW ^{[№ 12 ' 2015]}
Data on frequency of corneal ectasias varies significantly. The first epidemiological studies were conducted in 1959 by Hofstetter et al. in the US where the frequency of corneal ectasias was 0.6 %. The growing interest in keratorefractive surgeries, introduction of anterior segment analyzers at the end of the last century marked the beginning of a new era in diagnosis of corneal ectasias for which reason the incidence of corneal ectasias increased. Disease incidence depends on climatic and geographical factors, the level of technical equipment of medical institutions, ethnic background. Hereditary forms of ectasias according to different authors meet in 6–21,74 % of cases. Family forms of keratoconus patients Israel, Saudi Arabia, India can be attributed to inbreeding — high frequency of closely related marriages. Thus, according to the literature data there is an annual growth of corneal ectasias mainly in young active age population what requires the use of modern diagnostic methods with the aid of high-tech equipment for early diagnosis and treatment.