COMPUTER-ASSISTED VIDEOKERATOGRAPHY TO MEASURE CHANGES IN ASTIGMATISMINDUCED BY SUTURELESS CATARACT-SURGERY

Purpose: To compare the visual outcome, change in surgically induced a stigmatism, and corneal thickness' after sutureless cataract surgery t hrough either a scleral tunnel or clear corneal incision. Setting: Dep artment of Ophthalmology, Kangnam St. Mary's Hospital, Catholic Univer sity Medical College, Seoul, Korea. Methods: This retrospective study evaluated 79 eyes of 64 patients who had cataract surgery using a 6.0 mm scleral tunnel incision (Group 1, n = 20 eyes), 3.1 mm clear cornea l incision at the 12 o'clock position (Group 2, n = 35 eyes), or 3.1 m m clear corneal incision at the 10 o'clock position (Group 3, n = 24 e yes). Changes in surgically induced astigmatism were analyzed using co mputer-assisted videokeratography (CVK) 1 day, 8 weeks, and 6 months p ostoperatively. Results: Eleven eyes (55.0%) in Group 1, 15 (42.8%) in Group 2, and 11 (48.5%) in Group 3 had an uncorrected visual acuity o f 20/40 or better 1 day postoperatively. The CVK measurements showed s ignificantly more flattening at radial distances of 0.75, 1.50, and 2. 50 mm along the 90 degree semimeridian in Group 2 than in Group 1 (P < .05) 1 day after surgery; in Group 3, flattening along the incisional semimeridian fell between the amounts in Groups 1 and 2. At 8 weeks, the amount of flattening decreased in all groups, and the differences between groups were not statistically significantly different (P > .05 ). In the CVK pattern, corneal flattening along the incisional meridia n was narrower and longer in Groups 2 and 3 than in Group 1. Conclusio n: Localized flattening along the incisional meridian was prominent te mporally after clear corneal incision surgery. However, there was no d ifference in early visual rehabilitation between the clear corneal and scleral tunnel incision groups.