Intraocular lens power calculation after corneal refractive surgery

Corneal refractive procedures have become increasingly popular over the past decade, allowing patients to have excellent uncorrected visual acuity and spectacle independence. As these individuals mature, many will eventually undergo cataract surgery. With the advances in modern cataract surgery and lens implant technology, particularly presbyopic intraocular lens implants, patients and physicians have greater expectations regarding visual outcomes and independence from glasses after cataract surgery. Therefore, it is important to understand methods to accurately determine intraocular lens power calculation after keratorefractive procedures to avoid refractive surprises and patient dissatisfaction.

In this review article, we provide an overview of intraocular lens power determination after corneal refractive surgery, highlighting sources of errors and potential methods to improve the accuracy of the lens power estimation.

Newer methods to address errors in intraocular lens power calculations after keratorefractive surgery represent a paradigm shift from the previous gold standard of the clinical history method. Understanding the advantages and limitations of the various methods may be beneficial in obtaining more accurate estimations of the intraocular lens power after corneal refractive surgery, resulting in improved visual outcomes.