
17/07/2025
Autism Patients More Than Twice as Likely to Be Diagnosed with Keratoconus
This could be due to these individuals rubbing their eyes and having trouble communicating their visual problems, researchers speculate.
Previous studies have suggested that eye rubbing is a risk factor for keratoconus and contributes to the development of the disease. “If individuals with autism truly have a higher prevalence of both keratoconus and eye rubbing, one could ask if it is the act of eye rubbing itself that leads to the increased risk of keratoconus, if it is related to something inherent about this population that makes them more susceptible to the condition, or possibly a combination,” the authors wrote in their JCRS paper. “Some have speculated that repetitive behavior, such as eye rubbing, can be modified with behavioral therapy and thereby possibly prevent progression of keratoconus.”
Read more: https://www.reviewofoptometry.com/article/autism-patients-more-than-twice-as-likely-to-be-diagnosed-with-keratoconus