Analysis of changes in corneal shape and refraction following scleral buckling surgery

Purpose: A prospective study was performed to investigate changes in cornea l shape and axial length following scleral buckling surgery. Methods: We investigated the changes in corneal shape, refraction, and axia l length following Scleral buckling surgery in 24 patients who underwent lo cal buckling and 14 patients who underwent encircling with additional segme ntal buckling. The corneal shape was determined by corneal topography and a utokeratometry, refraction was measured by autorefractometry, and axial len gth was measured by A-mode ultrasonography before surgery, and 1, 2, and 7 days, and 1, 3, and 6 months after surgery. Results: After local buckling, the axial length shortened and a hyperopic c hange was observed. After encircling with additional segmental buckling, th e axial length elongated and a myopic shift was detected. The direction of the surgically induced corneal astigmatic vectors was almost identical to t he direction of the buckle. There was a tendency for shorter distances betw een the limbus and the buckle to be associated with greater absolute values . Astigmatism gradually decreased following surgery and stabilized in about 3 months. Conclusions: Surgeons should select a surgical procedure to ensure favorabl e postoperative visual acuity while minimizing changes in the shape of the cornea, Jpn J Ophthalmol 2000;44:132-138 (C) 2000 Japanese Ophthalmological Society.