Review Article Genetics of Keratoconus: Where Do We Stand?

Copyright © 2014 Khaled K. Abu-Amero et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Keratoconus is a progressive thinning and anterior protrusion of the cornea that results in steepening and distortion of the cornea, altered refractive powers, and reduced vision. Keratoconus has a complex multifactorial etiology, with environmental, behavioral, and multiple genetic components contributing to the disease pathophysiology. Using genome-wide and candidate gene approaches several genomic loci and genes have been identified that highlight the complexmolecular etiology of this disease.The review focuses on current knowledge of these genetic risk factors associated with keratoconus. 1