Combined myopia and astigmatism surgery. Review of 350 cases

Between February 1985 and December 1987, 350 eyes had combined radial keratotomy and transverse keratotomy surgery. All procedures were performed by the same surgeon. The number and length of the radial and transverse incisions were varied according to the surgeon's clinical judgment based on his personal experience and the nomograms developed by Thornton. Our results showed that 93% of the eyes had 20/40 or better uncorrected visual acuity at the last follow-up visit. The data indicate that quantifiably predictable results can be achieved with this procedure and that results appear stable up to five years after surgery in 80% of the documented cases. There was a tendency toward increasing effect of the transverse incisions in 20% of cases studied. This seems to correlate well with previous studies measuring long-term results with radial incisions for myopia.