DO STANDARD PROCEDURES IN SQUINT SURGERY INFLUENCE THE BLOOD-AQUEOUS BARRIER

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Surgery on the rectus muscles may interfere with anterior segment perfusion. This study investigates the influence of combined rectus muscle surgery on the blood-aqueous barrier in chi ldren. Namely, the influences of tucking and resection procedures were compared. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Laser flare measurements for tyndallo metry were performed preoperatively and postoperatively in 25 children . Fifteen of the children had undergone a combination of a rectus rece ssion and tucking; 10 had undergone a combined recession-resection pro cedure. RESULTS: The mean preoperative flare value was 4.1 photon coun ts/ms versus 3.7 photon counts/ms postoperatively in the eyes that had undergone surgery. Statistical evaluation showed that the postoperati ve changes were insignificant. No significant difference was found bet ween the two surgical techniques (tucking vs resection) regarding the preoperative versus postoperative flare value change (level of statist ical significance .05). CONCLUSION: Combined squint surgery, either re cession-tucking or recession-resection, was not shown to influence the blood-aqueous barrier.