ONE-YEAR POSTOPERATIVE ASTIGMATIC COMPARISON OF SUTURED AND UNSUTURED4.0 MM SCLERAL POCKET INCISIONS

The postoperative astigmatic course of unsutured and sutured 4.0 mm sc leral pocket incisions was followed for one year in a small pilot stud y. Initially, with-the-rule changes were noted only in the sutured gro up; eventually both groups demonstrated a small against-the-rule chang e that did not differ clinically or statistically. At one year after s urgery the group without suture closure developed a -0.45 diopter (D) shift while a -0.34 D change was noted in the group closed with the an chor suture method. The unsutured group of eyes demonstrated physical stability as did those eyes with suture closure; no cases developed wo und leaks, hypotony, or filtration blebs. Mean intraocular pressure wa s statistically unchanged from preoperative levels at one day after su rgery for both groups. No case demonstrated postoperative endophthalmi tis. Properly performed no-stitch corneal valve incisions provide phys ical and astigmatic stability that is indistinguishable from sutured i ncisions.