One-Year Results of a Posterior Chamber Toric Phakic Intraocular Lens Implantation in Patients with Keratoconus.

Purpose: To determine clinical and refractive results after the implantation of EyeCryl Phakic Toric intraocular lens in patients with stable keratoconus. Methods: The study included all patients diagnosed with keratoconus who underwent implantation of an EyeCryl Phakic Toric intraocular lens (Biotech Healthcare Holding; Ahmedabad, India) in at least one eye and had a follow-up of at least 12 months. Visual and refractive data were collected for all patients, along with corneal tomography measurements using Pentacam, and vault measurement using optical coherence tomography. This retrospective study was conducted at a high-volume private refractive surgery center in Medellín, Colombia. Results: A total of 83 eyes from 47 patients were included in the study. The majority (71.1%) were female, with a mean age of 31.2 ± 5.1 years. After 12 months of follow-up post-surgery, the spherical equivalent improved significantly from -8.19 ± 4.04 D to -0.06 ± 0.48 D (p < 0.001). Furthermore, 77% of eyes had a post-surgical spherical equivalent within ±0.50 D, while 92% had residual astigmatism ≤0.50 D. Twelve months after surgery, mean manifest astigmatism was -0.28 ± 0.27 D. Uncorrected visual acuity also showed improvement, from 1.11 ± 0.35 LogMAR to 0.14 ± 0.11 LogMAR. Moreover, 52.4% of eyes demonstrated an improvement of at least one line in best-corrected visual acuity. Notably, no intraoperative or postoperative complications were observed in the study population. Conclusion: The implantation of EyeCryl Phakic Toric intraocular lenses represents a highly effective and safe option for correcting refractive errors in patients with a history of keratoconus. Refractive accuracy is excellent, and a significant proportion of patients experienced an improvement in their best-corrected vision by at least one line.

The Effects of Whole-Corneal and Whole-Eye Higher Order Aberrations on the Discrepancy Between Refractive and Corneal Astigmatism in Otherwise Healthy Candidates for Refractive Surgery.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of different whole-corneal and whole-eye higher order aberrations (HOAs) on levels of axis discrepancy. METHODS: This was a retrospective study including healthy candidates for refractive surgery, with one eye being randomly selected. A total of 360 eyes were included. Whole-corneal and whole-eye HOAs were measured twice with a Pentacam AXL Wave (Oculus Optikgeräte GmbH), and subjective manifest refraction was obtained. Axis discrepancy was defined as the absolute difference between Total Corneal Refractive Power flat keratometry axis and manifest refractive axis. Two multiple linear regression models that sought to explore the effect of HOAs in predicting axis discrepancy while adjusting for corneal and refractive confounders were built. RESULTS: Mean age was 29.1 ± 5.8 years and 63.9% of the patients were women. Mean manifest sphere and cylinder were -3.09 ± 2.36 and -1.45 ± 1.37 diopters (D), respectively. Mean cylinder axis discrepancy was 14.4 ± 14.5°. On multiple linear regression, the only variables significantly associated with axis discrepancy were corneal cylinder and corneal lower order aberrations [F(5,339) = 29.746; P < .001; adjusted R2 = 0.295]. Lower levels of corneal cylinder are by far the main contributor to astigmatism axis mismatch (ß = -1.164). There was not a single HOA, either corneal or ocular, that significantly loaded into any models. CONCLUSIONS: Astigmatism axis mismatch decreases rapidly with increasing levels of corneal astigmatism. Corneal and whole-eye HOAs have no role in astigmatism axis mismatch in healthy candidates for refractive surgery. [J Refract Surg. 2024;40(2):e89-e97.].

Ocular residual astigmatism (ORA) does not seem to correlate with baseline refractive error among refractive surgery candidates.

PURPOSE: Ocular residual astigmatism (ORA) is defined as the difference between refractive astigmatism and anterior corneal astigmatism. A high ORA may be correlated with poorer results in patients undergoing corneal-based laser surgery. Is a high baseline refractive error related to a higher degree of ORA? METHODS: This was a retrospective analytical study including 181 right eyes of an equal number of refractive surgery candidates. Manifest subjective refraction was measured, along with a Pentacam AXL Wave corneal tomography. Via a vector analysis with this methodology, subjective cylinder was translated into the corneal plane and a vectorial subtraction was performed in order to measure ORA. Spearman's rank order test, one-way ANOVA and Chi-square were used to determine whether different levels of baseline refractive error correlate with different levels of ORA. RESULTS: Mean age was 28.33 ± 4.71 years with a female preponderance (65.7%). Mean ORA was 0.74 ± 0.39 D, with 33.1% of eyes having an ORA ≥ 0.90 D. There was not a correlation between ORA and level of myopia (rho = - 0.022; p = 0.764), nor between ORA and spherical equivalent (rho = 0.009; p = 0.903). Refractive astigmatism did not demonstrate to be correlated with ORA level either (rho = 0.078; p = 0.329). One-way ANOVA tests failed to demonstrate an association between different classifications of refractive error and level of ORA. CONCLUSIONS: In the studied population, ORA is not correlated with baseline refractive error. Every patient presenting for possible corneal-based laser refractive surgery should be evaluated for a possible high level of ORA, irrespective of their baseline ametropia level.

Corneal and Whole-Eye Higher Order Aberrations Do Not Correlate With Ocular Residual Astigmatism in Prepresbyopic Refractive Surgery Candidates.

PURPOSE: Ocular residual astigmatism (ORA) is the proportion of manifest astigmatism that is not explained by anterior corneal astigmatism. The role of higher order aberrations (HOAs) in the level of ORA has not been profoundly studied. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of different corneal and whole-eye HOAs on levels of ORA using a multivariate modeling approach. METHODS: This is a retrospective analytical study including a sample of healthy refractive surgery candidates. One eye of every patient was randomly selected. A total of 294 eyes from an equal number of patients were included. Corneal and whole-eye HOAs were measured with a Pentacam AXL Wave, and subjective manifest refraction was taken. Astigmatism values were converted into power vectors and ORA was calculated. The Spearman rank-order correlation was initially used to explore correlation between HOA and ORA. All variables with a P value under 0.10 were included into a multiple linear regression model to explore this correlation adjusting for confounding variables. RESULTS: The mean age was 28.81 ± 5.40 years. Simple bivariate correlation was significant for root mean square (RMS) total, RMS lower order aberrations, RMS HOAs, defocus, and vertical astigmatism. After being included into a multivariate regression model adjusting for confounding variables, the only variable that was significant was RMS total [F (3, 282) = 78.977; P < 0.001; adjusted R 2 = 0.451]. For every µm increase in corneal RMS total, ORA increases by 0.135 diopters. About 45% of variability in ORA can be explained by corneal RMS total, corneal J 0 , and manifest J 0 . No individual HOA correlated with ORA in the multivariate regression model. CONCLUSIONS: ORA increases with general corneal irregularity, especially regular astigmatism. Irregular astigmatism expressed by corneal and whole-eye HOAs does not seem to be a significant contributor of ORA in healthy refractive surgery candidates.

Determination of the repeatability of corneal densitometry as measured with a Scheimpflug camera device in refractive surgery candidates.

Purpose: Corneal densitometry analysis provides an objective measurement of corneal transparency in patients undergoing photorefractive keratectomy (PRK). To date, no study that focuses on determining the reliability and smallest real difference (SRD), specifically in PRK candidates, has been published. Methods: The study was conducted at Clínica de Oftalmología Sandiego, Medellín, Colombia. This was a prospective and analytical study. Refractive surgery candidates underwent Pentacam measurements twice with five minutes of difference. Repeatability of measurements was evaluated for every area using Wilcoxon signed-rank test, Spearman's rank-order correlation, and the intraclass correlation coefficient, followed by a within-subjects factor (Sw) finishing with a determination of the SRD for all areas. Bland-Altman plots were created and analyzed. Results: A total of 110 eyes were included. The mean total densitometry was 18.67 ± 1.56 grayscale units (GSU) and 18.65 ± 1.49 GSU for the first and second measurements, respectively. Wilcoxon was non-significant (P > 0.05) while the intraclass correlation coefficient demonstrated an excellent agreement. SRD ranged from 0.21 GSU (posterior × 6-10 mm) to 1.79 GSU (total × 10-12 mm). Anterior depths and 10-12 mm annulus had consistently more variability and greater (worse) SRD. The 10-12 mm annulus showed great dispersion on the Bland-Altman plots. Conclusion: Corneal densitometry has an excellent repeatability in refractive surgery candidates for areas below 10 mm. Any densitometry change ≥1.0 GSU in areas under 10 mm should be considered as well above measurement noise and corresponding to a real change in measured parameters. The 10-12 mm area does not seem to be reliable enough in refractive surgery candidates to warrant surveillance after corneal-based surgery.

Lente multifocal de tres piezas con captura de la óptica, como manejo de ruptura de la cápsula posterior en paciente sometida a cirugía facorrefractiva / Three-piece multifocal intraocular lens with optic capture as management of posterior capsule rupture in a patient undergoing refractive lens exchange

Se presenta el caso de una paciente sometida a cirugía facorrefractiva que sufre una ruptura de la cápsula posterior en la cirugía del primer ojo. Ante la imposibilidad de usar un lente trifocal de una pieza como inicialmente se tenía planteado, se realiza implante de lente multifocal de tres piezas en el sulcus con captura pupilar. Se reportan las imágenes de Scheimpflug y de retroiluminación del lente de tres piezas de un ojo y el lente de una pieza del ojo contralatera

We present the case of a female patient who suffered a posterior capsule rupture while undergoing refractive lens exchange. In view of the impossibility of using a single piece intraocular lens as was initially planned, a three-piece multifocal intraocular lens with an optic capture was positioned. Scheimpflug and retro-illumination images are presented.

Mejoría de la calidad visual, corneal y refractiva en queratocono por medio del protocolo de Atenas / Improvement of visual, corneal, and refractive quality in keratoconus through the Athens protocol

Se presenta el caso de un paciente con queratocono, con distorsión corneal moderada, quien es sometido a cirugía PRK guiada por topografía con crosslinking (protocolo de Atenas), con un excelente resultado anatómico y funcional. Se reportan las imágenes de tomografía de Scheimpflug y la simulación de calidad visual basada en aberrometría Hartmann-Shack.

This article presents the case of a keratoconus patient with moderate corneal distortion who underwent simultaneous topography-guided PRK and corneal crosslinking (Athens protocol), achieving an excellent anatomical and visual improvement. Scheimpflug tomography and Harmann-Shack aberrometry-based visual simulations are presented.

The Pentacam® AXL Wave provides a reliable wavefront-based objective refraction when compared to manifest subjective refraction: A prospective study.

Purpose: Accurate refraction is arguably the most important parameter for a successful laser vision correction surgery and is based on a combination of manifest and cycloplegic refraction. Wavefront-based objective refraction may be useful in the evaluation of patients. So far, the reliability of objective refraction as measured using the Pentacam® AXL Wave has not been published in the literature. Methods: This was a prospective study including a total of 168 eyes belonging to 84 young non-presbyopic patients evaluated for refractive surgery. Pentacam® AXL Wave full sequence was taken for all patients. Then, a clinician who was unaware of the objective refraction results performed a full physical examination, including manifest refraction starting from an autorefractometer value. All refraction values were transferred to astigmatic power vectors as per the Thibos method. Reliability of the different vectors and a unifying blur value were compared using Spearman correlation, Bland-Altman plot, and intraclass correlation coefficient. Results: The mean age was 28.8 ± 5.4 years, with a female preponderance (60.7%). The correlation between both eyes was high. The difference in M vector between subjective and objective refraction was 0.16 D, while the difference was 0.04 and 0.01 D for the J0 and J45 vectors, respectively. Paired samples Student t was non-significant for all comparisons. Spearman rho correlations were high (0.666-0.924, all P < 0.001). Intraclass correlation coefficients were also high (0.890-0.966). Bland-Altman plots did not demonstrate any systematic errors. Conclusion: Wavefront-based refractive refraction obtained using the Pentacam® AXL Wave is highly agreeable and correlated with measurements obtained by manifest subjective refraction.

Cataratas en pacientes sometidos a implante de lente intraocular fáquico: una ocurrencia muy poco habitual / Cataract in patients undergoing phakic intraocular lens implantation: an uncommon event

Se presenta el caso de dos pacientes con vault anormalmente bajo luego del implante de lentes intraoculares fáquicos. Se reportan las imágenes de Scheimpflug y retroiluminación que han permitido el diagnóstico temprano.

We present the cases of two patients who developed an abnormally low vault and subcapsular anterior cataracts after phakic intraocular lens implantation. Scheimpflug and retroillumination images are reported

Early results with the EyeCryl Phakic Toric intraocular lens implantation in keratoconus patients.

Objective: Refractive management in keratoconus is challenging. Although some kinds of phakic intraocular lenses have been studied in keratoconus so far, no study evaluated the results of EyeCryl Phakic Toric intraocular lenses in this kind of patients. Materials and Methods: This is a retrospective chart review study, including all keratoconus patients implanted with an EyeCryl Phakic Toric intraocular lens in at least one of their eyes by an experienced cornea surgeon in Colombia. Follow-up to 6 months after surgery was also included. Results: A total of 20 eyes of 14 patients were included, with an average age of 29.3 ± 4.2 years. Spherical equivalent improved from a pre-surgical value of -10.31 D to +0.09 D at 6 months. 65% of the patients improved at least one line in the best-corrected distance visual acuity. At 6 months, 70% of the patients were within ± 0.50 D of spherical equivalent emmetropia. No complications occurred in any of the patients. Conclusion: EyeCryl Phakic intraocular lenses are an excellent option in keratoconus patients with high refractive error. Abbreviations: KC = Keratoconus, P-IOL = phakic intraocular lenses, ICL = Implantable Collamer Lens, WTW = White to White, SD = standard deviation, ANOVA = an analysis of variance, UDVA = monocular uncorrected distance visual acuity, CDVA = corrected distance visual acuity.

Distrofia polimorfa posterior vista por medio de tomografía Scheimpflug y retroiluminación / Posterior polymorphous corneal dystrophy as seen through Scheimpflug tomography and corneal retroilumination

Se presenta el caso de un paciente de género masculino de 31 años de edad, a quien se le diagnosticó distrofia polimorfa posterior, una entidad poco frecuente, secundaria a alteraciones a nivel de la cresta neural. Si bien la mayoría de los pacientes tiene afectación bilateral, no son raros los casos totalmente unilaterales, como el reportado en el presente artículo.

We present the case of a 31-year-old male patient, who was diagnosed with posterior polymorphic dystrophy, a rare hereditary condition of the neural crest-derived. Although most patients have bilateral involvement, totally unilateral cases, such as the one reported in this article, are not rare

Unilateral Toxic Anterior Segment Syndrome Resulting in Cataract and Urrets-Zavalia Syndrome after Sequential Uneventful Implantation of a Posterior Chamber Phakic Toric Intraocular Lens at Two Different Surgical Facilities: A Series of Unfortunate Events.

BACKGROUND: Phakic Intraocular Lens (P-IOL) implantation is a safe, easy, predictable intervention designed to manage moderate to high refractive errors. Complications are relatively uncommon and include mainly cataract and intraocular pressure spikes. Toxic Anterior Segment Syndrome (TASS) is a rather unusual sterile anterior segment inflammation after uneventful intraocular surgery, extremely rarely reported after P-IOL implantation. Urrets-Zavalia Syndrome (UZS) is also very rarely described after P-IOL. To date, to the best of the authors' knowledge, no article has ever described the simultaneous occurrence of TASS and UZS in a patient after P-IOL implantation. OBJECTIVE: In this article, the authors present the case of a female patient with moderate myopic astigmatism, who underwent sequential P-IOL implantation at two different facilities. The postoperative course of the first eye was uneventful, but she developed complications associated to the intervention in the second eye. MATERIALS: The article describes the case of a young patient who underwent a sequential Phakic Intraocular Lens (P-IOL) implantation at two different institutions. The postoperative course of the first eye (left eye) was uneventful; however, the second eye (right eye) initially developed Toxic Anterior Segment Syndrome (TASS). Although timely and correct management was instituted, upon resolution of TASS, the patient developed Urrets-Zavalia Syndrome, anterior subcapsular cataract, and significant endothelial damage in the same eye. RESULTS: The patient was followed closely and managed accordingly; corneal edema and anterior segment inflammation of the right eye eventually resolved. Nevertheless, an anterior subcapsular cataract and a fixed dilated pupil remained; with normal intraocular pressure (IOP). Specular microscopy confirmed an endothelial cell loss in the TASS eye (right eye). Pupil size showed no reaction to repeated doses of Pilocarpine 2%. A month after surgery, refraction on her right eye was +0.25 + 0.75 × 93, which resulted in a 20/50 vision. CONCLUSIONS: TASS and UZS are both extremely rare complications after uneventful P-IOL implantation, with only a handful of cases having been reported of each of them. To date, this is the very first case where UZS ensued after and potentially as a consequence of TASS in a patient who had undergone P-IOL implantation. Although a direct causative element could not be pinpointed, the fact that the complication ensued after being operated in one surgical institution and not the other, could suggest some role of different sterilization and handling procedures, but no direct conclusion can be made on this case.

Both Subjective Emotional Distress and Visual Handicap Correlate with Belin ABCD Classification in the Worse Eye as Measured with the "Keratoconus End-Points Assessment Questionnaire" (KEPAQ).

BACKGROUND: Keratoconus is a disease characterized by progressive corneal distortion and quality of vision. So far, no study using disease-specific scales has evaluated whether different stages of the disease correlate with higher quality of life (QoL) compromise. METHODS: A total of 114 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of Keratoconus were included in this retrospective study. All patients underwent a clinical and a Pentacam evaluation. They were also administered the "Keratoconus End-Points Assessment Questionnaire" (KEPAQ). Belin ABCD criteria were used for Keratoconus classification. "Better eye" was defined as the eye with the lowest maximum keratometry value. Spearman Rank Order Correlation was used to determine the correlation between the different Belin criteria and the KEPAQ scores in both subscales. RESULTS: Mean age was 28.13 ± 11.57 years, with 39.47% of patients being male. Mean score for the KEPAQ-E was 2.33 ± 3.40 Logit, while for the KEPAQ-F, it was 1.85 ± 3.61 Logit. Criteria A (anterior elevation), B (posterior elevation) and D (visual acuity) in the worse eye correlated significantly with a greater decrease in QoL (p < 0.05 for all correlations). No correlation could be found regarding the better eye. CONCLUSION: A greater corneal distortion in the worse eye, as determined by Belin ABCD, is associated with a greater decrease in patient's QoL. Surgical improvement of the worse eye should probably be performed before surgery of the better eye, as it may provide a better response regarding the quality of life improvement.

Contralateral Posterior Chamber Phakic Intraocular Lens Implantation as Rehabilitation of Refractive Lens Exchange with a Monofocal Intraocular Lens in a Young, Nonpresbyopic, Bilateral Highly-Myopic Patient.

BACKGROUND: Refractive errors are widespread in the human population; nowadays, numerous surgical options allow for efficient and safe correction them. One of the main elements to ensure success in this kind of intervention will depend on the careful patient and surgical approach selection. Excimer laser corneal surgery is considered by most for low to moderate ametropias. Another option, which has been suggested may be safer, is to cut a small corneal lenticule with femtosecond laser, and then extracting it through a small incision. Nevertheless, in some specific cases, such as patients with high refractive error or those with some corneal abnormality, laser corneal ablations are considered unsafe from either a biomechanical or refractive standpoint. In this kind of particular cases, Phakic Intraocular Lens (P-IOL) implantation constitutes attractive, highly predictable and safe option. OBJECTIVE: The authors want to show the case of a young high-myopic woman, already pseudophakic in one eye, where the P-IOL implantation in the fellow eye yielded excellent short-term visual results, and high patient's satisfaction, is presented. MATERIALS: The authors present the case of a 32-years-old, highly myopic female patient underwent a Refractive Lens Exchange (RLE) with a monofocal Intraocular Lens (IOL) implantation in her left eye elsewhere, and developed severe visual issues, especially regarding near-work. Symptoms resolved through the implantation of a posterior chamber P-IOL in the contralateral eye. RESULTS: The postoperative course was unremarkable, inflammation was mild, and visual recovery was quick. There was no need to perform any procedure on her left eye or to use any reading glasses, as unilateral effective near vision through her right eye was enough for all her daily tasks. CONCLUSIONS: RLE in young pre-presbyopic highly myopic patients may not be an advisable alternative in most cases, because of the high risks of retinal complications observed. In addition, eliminating accommodation will cause significant limitations, and multifocal IOLs currently available are far from the quality of vision that a young human crystalline lens yields. On the other hand, implantation of a P-IOL is a good option if eye conditions are optimal, as it preserves natural accommodation. In this case an EyeCryl Phakic Toric® IOL showed excellent short-term refractive predictability and safety.

[Regarding surface ablation as an ethically superior option when compared to LASIK: primum non nocere]. / Sobre la ablación de superficie como opción éticamente superior al LASIK: primum non nocere.

Refractive surgery is an extremely safe surgical intervention, with excellent profiles of clinical improvement and satisfaction. The ethical responsibility of the refractive surgeon is to look for diminishing the patients' exposure to unnecessary risks. Therefore, surface ablation would be a preferable option over LASIK as the former has a better safety profile than the latter, without compromising final visual acuity. Ethically, surface ablation should be considered as the first choice in those patients undergoing Excimer laser refractive surgery.

La cirugía refractiva es una intervención quirúrgica sumamente segura, con excelentes perfiles de mejoría clínica y satisfacción. La responsabilidad ética del cirujano refractivo debe ir siempre enfocada a disminuir los riesgos innecesarios en las intervenciones que realiza. En ese orden de ideas, la ablación de superficie resultaría ser una opción preferible, ya que tiene un perfil de seguridad claramente superior que el LASIK, a la vez que no es inferior en el resultado visual a largo plazo. La ablación de superficie debería ser considerada la técnica de primera elección en cirugía refractiva con láser Excimer.

La presencia de fluoresceína induce una aleatorización temporal de los datos de cara posterior corneal medidos por un sistema de doble cámara de Scheimpflug ­ Estudio Piloto / Presence of fluorescein induces a temporal aleatorization of posterior corneal data as measured with a double Scheimpflug camera ­ a pilot study

Antecedentes: La medición fidedigna de parámetros tomográficos corneales es de gran importancia para el oftalmólogo general y para el cirujano de córnea, por cuanto permite un mejor diagnóstico y enfoque del paciente evaluado. Se ha visto que la presencia de fluoresceína en superficie ocular aumenta falsamente las paquimetrías según medida del Pentacam pero no se conoce si sucede algo similar con el equipo Galilei. Métodos: Estudio prospectivo, de intervención, aleatorizado, que pretendió evaluar si la presencia de una mezcla comercialmente disponible de fluoresceína induce cambios sobre los parámetros tomográficos tomados con el equipo Galilei G4 en un grupo de voluntarios sanos. Como control se utilizó la instilación de solución salina fisiológica en el ojo contralateral. Resultados: En total se incluyeron 36 ojos pertenecientes a 18 voluntarios sanos ocularmente. En el estado basal no se encontraron cambios en los parámetros tomográficos del grupo control con respecto al grupo intervención. Al minuto y a los cinco minutos de observación, se encontró una dispersión marcada de los datos correspondientes y derivados de la cara posterior corneal. Estos cambios se normalizaron a los 20 y 40 minutos de seguimiento luego de la instilación. Conclusiones: La presencia de fluoresceína sobre la superficie ocular induce cambios artefactuales importantes que pueden llevar a errores diagnósticos. Es recomendable esperar un tiempo prudencial desde la instilación de fluoresceína en el consultorio antes de realizar un estudio tomográfico en el paciente.

Background: Trustable measuring of tomographic parameters is of outmost importance for both the comprehensive ophthalmologist and the corneal surgeon, as it allows for a correct diagnosis of the patient. It has been shown that the presence of fluorescein on the corneal surface artefactually increases pachimetry values when measured with a Pentacam device, but it is unknown whether the same behavior is seen when a Galilei equipment is used. Methods: Prospective, randomized, intervention study, which sought to evaluate if the presence of a commercially available fluorescein mixture induced changes on tomographic parameters as measured by a Galilei G4 equipment on healthy subjects. Instillation of sodium chloride was used as a control. Results: 36 eyes belonging to 18 healthy volunteers were included. Before intervention, there was no diff erence on tomographic data between the intervention and the control groups. At one and fi ve minutes aft er intervention, the fluorescein group exhibited an important dispersion of posterior corneal surface data. These changes subsided at 20 and 40 minutes after fluorescein instillation. Conlusions: The presence of fluorescein on the corneal surface induced a number of important errors in tomographic data.

Refractive surgery training during residency - do not be afraid of the dark.

Refractive errors are a fairly common eye condition worldwide, and the ophthalmologist should be capable of offering the patient both nonsurgical and surgical solutions to their refractive conditions. Nevertheless, currently, refractive surgery training during residency is poor at best. This paper explores recent evidence to suggest that postsurgical results of patients operated on by residents are not inferior to those operated on by experienced staff. It points out the urgent need to improve the current approach to refractive surgery training.

Capsular block syndrome: a case report and literature review.

PURPOSE: To report the case of a patient who developed late capsular block syndrome and to review the current literature regarding this complication of phacoemulsification procedures. METHODS: The literature was reviewed to summarize the diagnosis, classification, use of diagnostic aids, and the current treatments for this complication. RESULTS: A 69-year-old patient complained of decreased visual acuity 11 months after undergoing phacoemulsification. She was found to have a secondary myopization. Anterior segment ultrabiomicroscopy confirmed the diagnosis of capsular block syndrome. The patient underwent neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) laser posterior capsulotomy, which resulted in complete resolution of her symptoms. CONCLUSION: CAPSULAR BLOCK SYNDROME IS A FAIRLY RARE COMPLICATION OF PHACOEMULSIFICATION PROCEDURES THAT, DEPENDING PRIMARILY ON THE TIMING OF ITS OCCURRENCE FOLLOWING SURGERY, CAN DEVELOP INTO ONE OF THE THREE FOLLOWING POSSIBLE CLINICAL SCENARIOS: intraoperatory, early postoperatory, and late postoperatory. In this patient, Nd:YAG laser capsulotomy was shown to be a safe and effective treatment option for this type of complication.