Visual losses after myopic epikeratoplasty.

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Corneal Surgery
• Vision Science

Background:

• Epikeratoplasty is a surgical procedure to correct myopia.
• Corneal refractive surgery can impact visual function, including contrast sensitivity.
• Understanding vision deficits after refractive surgery is crucial for patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate contrast sensitivity function in patients after epikeratoplasty for myopia.
• To compare vision losses in epikeratoplasty patients with those in radial keratotomy and keratoconus patients.
• To determine the role of glare and intraocular light scattering in observed vision deficits.

Main Methods:

• Contrast sensitivity functions were measured in seven epikeratoplasty patients, seven radial keratotomy patients, and seven keratoconus patients.
• Measurements were taken with and without a glare source.
• Results were compared to a normal control population.

Main Results:

• Epikeratoplasty patients showed statistically significant losses in contrast sensitivity compared to normal controls.
• Contrast sensitivity losses in epikeratoplasty patients were similar to those with keratoconus and significantly greater than in radial keratotomy patients.
• The addition of glare did not significantly alter the pattern or extent of contrast sensitivity losses.

Conclusions:

• Epikeratoplasty for myopia leads to substantial contrast sensitivity deficits.
• These vision losses are comparable to those seen in keratoconus patients.
• Intraocular light scattering is unlikely to be the primary cause of reduced contrast sensitivity after epikeratoplasty.