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PURPOSE: To evaluate the surgical outcome in terms of safety, efficacy, predictability, and retreatment rate of LASIK surgery in patients with controlled systemic diseases in comparison with healthy individuals. METHODS: The retrospective study included data from 1936 eyes of 976 patients with stable systemic diseases who underwent LASIK surgery between January 2016 and June 2019. The safety, efficacy, predictability of the surgery, and retreatment rate were evaluated in comparison with a control group comprising 1951 patients. The study was approved by the local ethics committee and adhered to the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Statistical analysis was performed using R team and the level of statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. RESULTS: All treatment groups demonstrated high safety and efficacy indices after LASIK surgery. Furthermore, the study arms demonstrated comparable predictability and retreatment rates to the control group in nearly all cases. Retreatment rates were significantly higher in the rheumatoid arthritis group (p = 0.03), while safety indices were significantly lower in the hay fever group compared to the control group (p = 0.004). No intra- or postoperative sight-threatening complications were documented. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that selected patients with stable systemic conditions can safely undergo LASIK surgery and achieve comparable outcomes to healthy individuals. Further research is needed to better understand the treatment outcomes in this challenging patient population.
Subject(s)
Keratomileusis, Laser In Situ , Humans , Keratomileusis, Laser In Situ/adverse effects , Visual Acuity , Retrospective Studies , Treatment Outcome , Eye , Postoperative Complications/etiology , Refraction, Ocular , Lasers, ExcimerABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To evaluate the intra- and inter-device repeatability of pupil diameter measurements using three different devices in patients prior to corneal refractive surgery. METHODS: We examined preoperative measurements from a total of 204 eyes (102 patients) scheduled for corneal refractive surgery at two private centers between July and December 2021. Three consecutive scans were performed with three different devices (Sirius anterior segment analyzer, Pentacam HR, IOLMaster 500) in the same session by the same examiner under standardized conditions. To assess the intra- and inter-device repeatability, we calculated the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) and demonstrated results using Bland-Altman plots. RESULTS: The measurement accuracy (intra-device repeatability) of Sirius and IOLMaster was comparable (ICC = 0.64 and 0.61, respectively), with almost no statistically significant differences. Sirius showed the highest measurement accuracy among the three devices. Pentacam measurements resulted in lower precision, with an ICC of 0.09. The agreement between the pairs of devices (inter-device repeatability) was low (wide LoA ranges, Table 5). CONCLUSION: In this study, the intra-device repeatability of Sirius and IOLMaster was higher than that of the Pentacam, although it did not achieve an optimal level across all three devices. The three devices examined cannot be used interchangeably.
Subject(s)
Ophthalmology , Pupil , Humans , Cornea , Interior Design and FurnishingsABSTRACT
Purpose: Currently, two major principles exist to create LASIK flaps: firstly, a strictly horizontal (2D) cut similar to the microkeratome-cut and secondly an angled cut with a "step-like" edge (3D). The strictly horizontal (2D) cut method can be performed using apparatus such as the low-energy FEMTO LDV Z8 laser and its predecessors which are specific to this type. Alternatively, the low-energy FEMTO LDV Z8 laser's 3D flap design creates an interlocking flap-interface surface which potentially contributes toward flap stability. In addition, the FEMTO LDV Z8 offers flap-position adjustments after docking (before flap-creation). The current study analyzed precision, safety, efficacy, as well as patient self-reported pain and comfort levels after applying two different types of LASIK flap morphologies which were created with a low-energy, high-frequency femtosecond (fs) laser device. Methods: A prospective, interventional, randomized, contralateral eye, single-center comparison study was conducted from November 2019 to March 2020 at the Hamburg vision clinic/ zentrumsehstärke, Hamburg, Germany. Eleven patients and 22 eyes received low-energy fs LASIK treatment for myopia or myopic astigmatism in both eyes. Before the treatment, the eyes were randomized (one eye was treated with the 2D, the other eye with the 3D method). Results: The mean central flap thickness one month after surgery was 110.7 ± 1.6 µm (2D) and 111.2 ± 1.7 µm (3D); P = 0.365 (2D vs 3D). Flap thickness measured at 13 different points resulted in no statistically significant differences between any of the measurement points within/between both groups; demonstrating good planarity of the flap was achieved using both methods. Despite not being statistically significant, the surgeons recognized an increase in the presence of an opaque bubble layer in the 3D flap eyes during surgery and some patients reported higher, yet not statistically significant, pain scores in the 3D flap eyes during the first hours after the treatment. Overall, safety- and efficacy indices were 1.03 and 1.03, respectively. Conclusion: In this prospective, randomized, contralateral eye study, the low-energy fs laser yielded predictable lamellar flap thicknesses and geometry at one-month follow-up. Based on these results, efficacy and safety of the corresponding laser application, that is, 2D vs 3D, are equivalent.
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Purpose: To examine the clinical outcomes, predictors of visual improvement and complications of continuous intracorneal ring (ICCR) implantation in patients with keratoconus and confirmed contact-lens intolerance (CLI). Methods: This nonrandomized, multi-centric, retrospective cohort study examined visual, keratometric and clinical outcomes evaluated after a minimum follow-up of 2 months. Among the inclusion criteria for the standard treatment group (STG) were corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) <20/25 Snellen, no central corneal scars, minimum corneal thickness >350µm, and central mean keratometry reading (meanK) <55 diopters. All other eyes were classified as non-standard treatment group. Results: A total of 118 eyes of 118 patients with aged 32 ± 11 years were included in this study. At a median follow-up of 161 days (interquartile range: 111-372 days) ICCR implantation improved the CDVA from a mean of 0.38 to 0.15 logMAR (p<0.0001). Our correlation analysis showed lower preoperative CDVA to be the single best predictor of CDVA improvement, with eyes of a CDVA of 20/80 or lower improving by 4.3 ± 2.0 lines on average. Eyes with a meanK >55 diopters gained 9.04±4.83 lines in UDVA and 2.86±3.09 lines in CDVA. However, postoperatively these eyes had a CDVA of 0.32±0.21 logMAR which is significantly inferior to the STG outcome (p=0.001372). Fifteen eyes (12.7%) had to undergo a ring exchange procedure because of refractive under- (9 eyes) or overcorrection (6 eyes). Two eyes (1.7%) experienced medical complications. Conclusion: This study confirms the inclusion criteria of ICCR implantation in KC eyes with CDVA <20/25 and CLI. Particularly in eyes with a preoperative CDVA <20/80 and a meanK <55 diopters, ICCR implantation should be considered due to its reversibility and low rates of serious complications. The main challenge remains in the low predictability of the magnitude of this improvement in eyes with CDVA >20/30.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: The study aims to explore the intereye asymmetry in normal and keratoconic individuals and to evaluate the discriminant power of single and combined asymmetry parameters. METHODS: This is a retrospective designed study including 414 patients who had Pentacam Scheimpflug topographic and tomographic imaging in both eyes: 124 subjects with bilateral normal corneas evaluated for refractive surgery and 290 with keratoconus. All elevation-, pachymetric-, and volumetric-based data (56 parameters) were electronically retrieved and analyzed. Intereye asymmetry was determined by subtracting the lowest value from the highest value for each variable. The degree of asymmetry between each subject's eyes was calculated with intraclass correlation coefficients for all the parameters. Receiver operating characteristic curve was used to determine predictive accuracy and to identify optimal cutoffs of these values and combinations thereof. RESULTS: In the normal/keratoconus subjects the median intereye asymmetries were 0.30/3.45 for K2 (flat) meridian, 0.03/0.25 for BFS front, 1.00/15.00 for elevation back BFS apex, and 7.00/29.00 for pachy min. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to Rabinowitz's Kmax intereye asymmetry we propose pachymetric, elevation-based, and high-order corneal wavefront intereye asymmetry parameters to improve the diagnostic armamentarium of keratoconus.
Subject(s)
Keratoconus , Cornea , Corneal Pachymetry , Corneal Topography , Humans , ROC Curve , Retrospective Studies , TomographyABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To analyse the vision-related quality of life (vr-QoL) in stable and progressive keratoconus (KC) patients with a still good visual acuity. METHODS: Combined prospective/cross-sectional study design. The Refractive Status and Vision Profile (RSVP) and the National Eye Institute Visual Functioning - 25 (NEI-25) questionnaire were used in 16 emmetropic, 32 myopic and 56 KC patients, whereby KC patients with a stable (n = 26) and patients with a progressive stage (n = 30) and some of them before and after corneal cross-linking (CXL; n = 10) were included. All patients had a DCVA in at least one eye of ≥0.7 (decimal chart). RESULTS: The analyses revealed a minor decline of the vr-QoL from emmetropes to myopes to early KC patients with a stable disease. Nonetheless, sociological subscales (i.e. 'social functioning', 'role difficulties' and 'dependency') did not display statistically significant differences comparing these groups. In progressive KC, we could demonstrate a statistically significant decline also of these sociological subscales, which did not improve after CXL. CONCLUSION: Due to a still high and almost unaffected vr-QoL in early KC patients and the distinct decline after progression without rehabilitation after CXL, a reconsideration of current strategies to perform CXL only after a progression is diagnosed should be re-evaluated.
Subject(s)
Collagen/therapeutic use , Cross-Linking Reagents/therapeutic use , Keratoconus/psychology , Photochemotherapy/methods , Quality of Life , Riboflavin/therapeutic use , Visual Acuity , Adult , Cornea/pathology , Corneal Topography , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Humans , Keratoconus/diagnosis , Keratoconus/drug therapy , Male , Photosensitizing Agents/therapeutic use , Prospective StudiesABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To investigate the prevalence of preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative angle κ in hyperopic eyes and its effect on the refractive outcomes of excimer laser vision correction. SETTING: University Hospital Hamburg and Care Vision Refractive Centers, Germany. DESIGN: Retrospective multicenter study. METHODS: Hyperopic patients after laser in situ keratomileusis and before retreatment because of hyperopic regression were included. Three treatment groups were defined based on the magnitude of preoperative angle κ defined as low (<0.25 mm), moderate (0.25 to 0.50 mm), or high (>0.50 mm). RESULTS: The study analyzed 170 hyperopic eyes of 112 patients (mean age 29.8 years ± 10.04 [SD], range 21 to 62 years). The preoperative angle κ was low, moderate, or high in 23, 49, and 98 cases, respectively. In eyes with a preoperative angle κ of 0.25 mm or more, changes in the x-axes and y-axes of angle κ and its magnitude were statistically significant (P < .05) between preoperative and intraoperative measurements. In these eyes, intraoperative angle κ (offset) was statistically significantly smaller (P < .05), and Purkinje images were statistically significantly more caudal (P < .001). Treatment predictability was independent from using preoperative or intraoperative angle κ, and there were no statistically significant differences in efficacy or safety. CONCLUSIONS: A preoperative magnitude of angle κ as high as 0.50 mm or higher was present in more than 50% of regressed hyperopic eyes. Measuring angle κ preoperatively did not reflect its real-time intraoperative magnitude. Using the preoperatively larger angle κ as an intraoperative offset might result in a too nasally centered ablation that causes topographic and optical drawbacks; therefore, centering the ablation based on the intraoperative measured offset is recommended.
Subject(s)
Astigmatism/surgery , Cornea/surgery , Hyperopia/surgery , Keratomileusis, Laser In Situ/methods , Refraction, Ocular/physiology , Visual Acuity , Adult , Astigmatism/physiopathology , Cornea/pathology , Corneal Topography , Female , Humans , Hyperopia/physiopathology , Male , Middle Aged , Retrospective Studies , Treatment Outcome , Young AdultABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: To evaluate the safety and spectrum of complications of three excimer laser surface ablation techniques (SATs) with an intraoperative application of mitomycin C (MMC) 0.02%. A retrospective, non-comparative large case series. METHODS: SATs were performed on 2757 eyes with a preoperative spherical equivalent (SE) of - 4.41 ± 2.44 and a Wavelight Allegretto 200 platform. Ablation zone diameters between 6.0 and 7.0 mm were used according to mesopic pupil size. All patients were treated with an intraoperative application of MMC for 30 to 90 s depending on refractive error. The mean follow-up time was > 3 months (107 ± 24 days). Complication range and incidence were analyzed retrospectively and safety index was calculated. RESULTS: Two thousand seven hundred and fifty-seven eyes met the inclusion criteria for surface ablation. Two thousand five hundred and seventy-three eyes were assigned to alcohol-assisted photorefractive keratectomy (APRK), 135 eyes to transepithelial photorefractive keratectomy (TPRK), and 49 eyes to off-flap epithelial laser in situ keratomileusis (EpiLASIK/EpiK). Overall, the safety index was 1.06 ± 0.28. Haze was graded according to the Fantes scale. Haze incidence rates were highest in the TPRK group (14.81%) and comparably low in APRK (2.95%) and EpiK (4.08%) groups. CONCLUSIONS: Intraoperative topical application of MMC (0.02%) results in good safety and no severe side effects. However, highest incidence of haze was observed after TPRK. The more frequent peripheral localization of haze might be attributed to large ablation zones and the wavefront optimized ablation profile especially in the PTK modus of the laser platform.
Subject(s)
Lasers, Excimer/therapeutic use , Mitomycin/administration & dosage , Myopia/surgery , Photorefractive Keratectomy/methods , Postoperative Complications/prevention & control , Refraction, Ocular , Administration, Topical , Adult , Female , Humans , Intraoperative Period , Male , Myopia/physiopathology , Nucleic Acid Synthesis Inhibitors/administration & dosage , Retrospective Studies , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To analyze the potential benefit of the newly developed Tomography and Biomechanical Index (TBI) for early keratoconus screening. METHODS: In this retrospective study, the discriminatory power of the corneal tomography Belin/Ambrósio Enhanced Ectasia Display (BAD-D) index and the newly developed Corvis Biomechanical Index (CBI) and TBI to differentiate between normal eyes, manifest keratoconus eyes (KCE), very asymmetric keratoconus eyes with ectasia (VAE-E), and their fellow eyes with either regular topography (VAE-NT) or regular topography and tomography (VAE-NTT) were analyzed by applying the t test (for normal distribution), Wilcoxon matched-pairs test (if not normally distributed), and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC). The DeLong test was used to compare the area under the ROC (AUROC). Further, the cut-offs of the analyzed indices presented in a study by Ambrósio et al. from 2017 were applied in the study population to enable a cross-validation in an independent study population. RESULTS: All indices demonstrated a high discriminative power when comparing normal and advanced keratoconus, which decreased when comparing normal and VAE-NT eyes and further when analyzing normal versus VAE-NTT eyes. The difference between the AUROCs reached a statistically significant level when comparing TBI versus BAD-D analyzing normal versus all included keratoconic eyes (P = .02). The TBI presented with the highest AUROCs throughout all conducted analyses when comparing different keratoconus stages, although not reaching a statistically significant level. Applying the cut-offs presented by Ambrósio et al. to differentiate between normal and VAE-NT in the study population, the accuracy was reproducible (accuracy in our study population with an optimized TBI cut-off: 0.72, with the cut-off defined by Ambrósio et al. 0.67). CONCLUSIONS: The TBI enables karatoconus screening in topographical and tomographical regular keratoconic eyes. To further improve the screening accuray, prospective studies should be conducted. [J Refract Surg. 2018;34(12):840-847.].
Subject(s)
Cornea/physiopathology , Elasticity/physiology , Keratoconus/diagnostic imaging , Keratoconus/physiopathology , Adult , Biomechanical Phenomena , Corneal Pachymetry , Corneal Topography , Female , Humans , Male , ROC Curve , Retrospective Studies , TomographyABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To evaluate corneal deformation to an air puff as a new noninvasive tool to document disease status in Marfan syndrome (MFS) METHODS: Prospective observational cohort study. We included patients diagnosed with MFS who had their routine cardiovascular follow-up and applied the revised Ghent nosology to define two subgroups according to a high (≥ 7) and a low (< 7 points) systemic score. Dynamic Scheimpflug-based biomechanical analyses (CorvisST® [CST; Oculus GmbH]) were performed. The main outcome measure was the displacement of the corneal apex as given by the parameters highest concavity (HC; in ms), peak distance (PD; in mm), and highest concavity deformation amplitude (DA; mm). RESULTS: Forty-three eyes of 43 individuals (19 female, 24 male; mean age 42.0 ± 12.0 years, range 18-67 years) diagnosed with MFS were included. Applying the Ghent criteria, 21 patients had an advanced systemic score of ≥ 7, and 22 had score points < 7. There were no differences in age or sex between both groups. In contrast, HC was faster (P = 0.004), and PD (P < 0.001) was longer in those individuals with systemic score ≥ 7; maximum DA did not result in a statistically significant difference between the groups (P = 0.250). CONCLUSIONS: In vivo noninvasive biomechanical analyses with CST offer a new, non-invasive method to identify pathologic corneal deformation responses in adults with MFS. In the future, corneal deformation to an air puff could thus assist early identification of patients with high Ghent score as an adjunct to existing diagnostic tests.
Subject(s)
Cornea/physiopathology , Corneal Diseases/physiopathology , Intraocular Pressure/physiology , Marfan Syndrome/complications , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Cornea/pathology , Corneal Diseases/diagnosis , Corneal Diseases/etiology , Corneal Topography , Elasticity , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Male , Marfan Syndrome/physiopathology , Middle Aged , Prospective Studies , Severity of Illness Index , Young AdultSubject(s)
Hyperopia/surgery , Keratomileusis, Laser In Situ , Cornea , Humans , Myopia/surgery , Refraction, Ocular , Reoperation , Retreatment , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy, predictability, and safety of laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) retreatment in eyes with hyperopia. SETTING: Multicenter refractive surgery centers and University Hospital, Germany. DESIGN: Retrospective case series. METHODS: This multicenter study included hyperopic patients with a preoperative difference between cycloplegic and manifest refraction of 1.00 diopter (D) or less who had LASIK retreatment based on manifest refraction. The refractive outcome was analyzed according to standard graphs for reporting the efficacy, predictability, and safety of refractive surgery. RESULTS: One hundred thirteen eyes of 113 consecutive hyperopic patients were enrolled. Efficacy (P < .001) and safety (P = .004) were statistically significantly improved by retreatment without being negatively influenced by preoperative manifest spherical equivalent (SE), manifest cylinder, or keratometry. In cases still showing a trend toward undercorrection, retreatment resulted in 88 eyes (78.0%) being within ±0.50 D of the attempted correction. The optical zone (OZ) diameter of the retreatment did not correlate with efficacy, predictability, or safety. CONCLUSIONS: Retreatment after hyperopic LASIK resulted in high efficacy, predictability, and safety outcomes. The efficacy and safety of the retreatment were not affected by preoperative manifest SE, manifest cylinder, keratometry, or OZ diameter.
Subject(s)
Hyperopia , Keratomileusis, Laser In Situ , Humans , Hyperopia/surgery , Mydriatics , Retreatment , Retrospective Studies , Visual AcuityABSTRACT
PURPOSE: This proof-of-concept study was designed to analyze the ability of in vivo biomechanical corneal analyses with the corneal visualization Scheimpflug technology (CorvisST; Oculus Optikgeräte, Wetzlar, Germany) to differentiate between normal eyes and eyes with manifest keratoconus after strictly eliminating the potential confounding factors intraocular pressure (IOP) and central corneal thickness (CCT). METHODS: In this retrospective, cross-sectional study, after pairwise matching for CCT and IOP, 29 normal eyes and 29 keratoconic eyes (one eye from each patient) were selected as study population. Older CorvisST parameters and the new Corvis Biomechanical Index (CBI), including several biomechanical and one tomographic parameter, as well as an adjusted CBI (aCBI) (including only biomechanical parameters), were compared regarding their discriminative ability between both groups. RESULTS: None of the CorvisST parameters of the former software version demonstrated statistically significant differences between normal and keratoconic eyes. On the other hand, the CBI and aCBI reached accuracies of 0.91 and 0.93, respectively, to discriminate between CCT- and IOP-matched normal and keratoconic eyes (CBI: [AUC/sensitivity/specificity]: 0.961/0.90/0.93; aCBI: [AUC/sensitivity/specificity]: 0.986/0.93/0.93). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that the concept of keratoconus screening with the CorvisST is effective in differentiating keratoconic from non-keratoconic eyes. The next steps will be testing the indices in subclinical keratoconus cases and hopefully combining biomechanical analyses with already established topography and tomography indices to further improve current keratoconus screening. [J Refract Surg. 2017;33(11):773-778.].
Subject(s)
Cornea/physiopathology , Corneal Topography/methods , Keratoconus/diagnosis , Adult , Cornea/diagnostic imaging , Cross-Sectional Studies , Elasticity , Female , Humans , Keratoconus/physiopathology , Male , Middle Aged , ROC Curve , Retrospective Studies , Young AdultABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to analyze ocular residual astigmatism (ORA) before and after implantation of two different optical types of non-toric multifocal intraocular lenses (MIOL) in pre-cataract patients. This retrospective cohort study analyzed 72 eyes from 72 consecutive patients after MIOL surgery . To investigate magnitude and axis of astigmatic changes, the concepts of true corneal astigmatism and Alpins vector method were applied. There were no statistically significant between-group differences prior to surgery. The mean refractive surgically induced astigmatism (RSIA) (P = 0.063) and the topographic SIA (TSIA) (P = 0.828) did not differ significantly between the lenses, and the summated vector mean for ORA was reduced in terms of magnitude by approximately 0.30 Diopter. ORA in pseudophakic eyes mainly results from the posterior corneal surface and less from IOL tilting, postoperative posterior capsule shrinkage, or secondary cataract.
Subject(s)
Anterior Chamber/surgery , Astigmatism/diagnosis , Cataract/complications , Cornea/diagnostic imaging , Lenses, Intraocular , Pseudophakia/surgery , Refraction, Ocular/physiology , Adult , Aged , Astigmatism/physiopathology , Corneal Topography , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Postoperative Period , Prosthesis Design , Retrospective Studies , Time Factors , Visual AcuityABSTRACT
PURPOSE: This study was initiated to introduce the term non-corneal ocular residual astigmatism (N-CORA) as a new parameter in astigmatic change analysis after implantation of two different types of non-toric, multifocal intraocular lenses (MIOL). METHODS: Seventy-two eyes from 72 consecutive patients after MIOL surgery were studied in terms of a retrospective, cross-sectional data analysis. Two types of spherical MIOL were used. Surgical technique in all patients was a 2.4-mm incision phacoemulsification, performed by one surgeon. To investigate the magnitude and axis of astigmatic changes, the true corneal astigmatism and Alpins vector method were applied. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant between-group differences related to the preoperative refraction or ocular residual astigmatism (ORA). After surgery, the mean refractive surgically induced astigmatism (RSIA) and the topographic SIA (TSIA) did not differ significantly between the lenses. The magnitude and orientation of ORA and N-CORA changed after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: There are no statistically significant differences in postoperative ORA in magnitude or axis when implanting different types of MIOL. The similarity of N-CORA between both MIOL types shows that both diffractive and refractive asymmetric MIOLs with plate haptics have the same pseudolentogenic astigmatic effect which could be presented in terms of the newly introduced parameter N-CORA.
Subject(s)
Astigmatism/surgery , Cornea/pathology , Lenses, Intraocular , Phacoemulsification/adverse effects , Posterior Eye Segment/surgery , Refraction, Ocular/physiology , Adult , Aged , Astigmatism/diagnosis , Astigmatism/physiopathology , Cornea/surgery , Corneal Topography , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Postoperative Complications , Prosthesis Design , Retrospective Studies , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To analyze the refractive and keratometric stability in hyperopic astigmatic laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) or photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) during the first 6 months after surgery. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This retrospective cross-sectional study included 97 hyperopic eyes; 55 were treated with LASIK and 42 with PRK. Excimer ablation for all eyes was performed using the ALLEGRETTO excimer laser platform using a mitomycin C for PRK and a mechanical microkeratome for LASIK. Keratometric and refractive data were analyzed during three consecutive follow-up intervals (6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months). The corneal topography was obtained using Scheimpflug topography, and subjective refractions were acquired by expert optometrists according to a standardized protocol. RESULTS: After 3 months, mean keratometry and spherical equivalent were stable after LASIK, whereas PRK-treated eyes presented statistically significant (P<0.001) regression of hyperopia. In eleven cases, hyperopic regression of >1 D occurred. The optical zone diameter did not correlate with the development of regression. CONCLUSION: After corneal laser refractive surgery, keratometric changes are followed by refractive changes and they occur up to 6 months after LASIK and for at least 6 months after PRK, and therefore, caution should be applied when retreatment is planned during the 1st year after surgery because hyperopic refractive regression can lead to suboptimal visual outcome. Keratometric and refractive stability is earlier achieved after LASIK, and therefore, retreatment may be independent of late regression.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Previous studies have suggested that, to improve refractive predictability in hyperopic LASIK treatments, preoperative cycloplegic or manifest refraction, or a combination of both, could be used in the laser nomogram. We set out to investigate (1) the prevalence of a high difference between manifest and cycloplegic spherical equivalent in hyperopic eyes preoperatively, and (2) the related predictability of postoperative keratometry. METHODS: Retrospective cross-sectional data analysis of consecutive treated 186 eyes from 186 consecutive hyperopic patients (mean age 42 [±12] years) were analyzed. Excimer ablation for all eyes was performed using a mechanical microkeratome (SBK, Moria, France) and an Allegretto excimer laser platform. Two groups were defined according to the difference between manifest and cycloplegic spherical equivalent which was defined as ≥1.00 diopter (D); the data was analyzed according to refractive outcome in terms of refractive predictability, efficacy, and safety. RESULTS: In 24 eyes (13 %), a preoperative difference of ≥1.00D between manifest spherical equivalent and cycloplegic spherical equivalent (= MCD) occurred. With increasing preoperative MCD, the postoperative achieved spherical equivalent showed hyperopic regression after 3 months. There was no statistically significant effect of age (accommodation) or optical zone size on the achieved spherical equivalent. CONCLUSIONS: A difference of ≥1.00D occurs in about 13 % of hyperopia cases. We suggest that hyperopic correction should be based on the manifest spherical equivalent in eyes with preoperative MCD <1.00D. If the preoperative MCD is ≥1.00D, treatment may produce manifest undercorrection, and therefore we advise that the patient should be warrned about lower predictability, and suggest basing conclusions on the arithmetic mean calculated from the preoperative manifest and cycloplegic spheres.
Subject(s)
Cornea/surgery , Hyperopia/surgery , Keratomileusis, Laser In Situ/methods , Mydriatics/pharmacology , Preoperative Care/methods , Refraction, Ocular/drug effects , Visual Acuity , Adolescent , Adult , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Hyperopia/diagnosis , Hyperopia/physiopathology , Male , Middle Aged , Retrospective Studies , Treatment Outcome , Young AdultABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of corneal cross-linking (CXL) in progressive keratoconus by applying in vivo static and dynamic Scheimpflug analyses. METHODS: In this longitudinal retrospective study, corneal topography and tomography (Pentacam HD) and dynamic Scheimpflug-based biomechanical analyses (CorvisST [CST]) of 24 eyes of 24 patients with progressive keratoconus before and 6 months after CXL were reviewed. New dynamic curve analyses, provided by Oculus Optikgeräte, were performed to analyze corneal dynamics throughout the entire response to the CST air puff impulse. RESULTS: Besides subtle changes of topography and tomography, only the CorvisST predefined parameters peak distance (-0.5 mm) and radius of the intended cornea (+0.5 mm; P < .05) demonstrated statistically significant differences 6 months after CXL. Using new dynamic curve analyses, additional distinct changes of the corneal biomechanical characteristics after CXL were noted. CONCLUSIONS: Published results of corneal biomechanical changes after CXL for progressive keratoconus based on single, predefined CST parameters are inconsistent. The new dynamic curve analyses demonstrate distinct changes of the biomechanical properties of the cornea and might therefore be the next step in understanding in vivo analyses of corneal biomechanics.