[Changes of the anterior eye segment after eye muscle surgery--evaluation by optical coherence tomography in adults]

In the light of studies in children which showed no significant changes concerning anterior chamber depth, central corneal thickness and chamber angle width after eye muscle surgery, the aim of this study was to evaluate such changes in adults by means of optical coherence tomography.

Using the Visante™ OCT (Carl Zeiss, Meditec, Jena) we measured central corneal thickness (CCT), anterior chamber depth (ACD) and chamber angle width at 0° (CW0) and 180° (CW180) in 17 patients who had undergone eye muscle surgery on a minimum of one horizontal muscle preoperatively, one week and four months postoperatively. Exclusion criteria were an age under fifteen years at the time of surgery, previous intraocular surgery and other pathological conditions of the anterior segment. The median age at surgery was 43 years (min: 15; max: 67 years).

In all eyes (one and two muscles), no significant differences of mean values taken preoperatively, one week and four months postoperatively were seen: CCT: 538 ± 51 mm; 535 ± 39 mm; 535 ± 46 mm (p = 0.77); ACD: 2.98 ± 0.44 μm; 3.01 ± 0.45 μm; 3.01 ± 0.40 μm (p = 0.42); KW 0: 38.0 ± 5.2° 38.4 ± 6.0° 37.8 ± 5.2° (p = 0.98); KW 180: 33.7 ± 5.6° 35.6 ± 5.7° 34.5 ± 6.8° (p = 0.32). The differences between the corresponding data of both subgroups (one vs. two muscles) concerning central corneal thickness (p-value: 0.74; 0.89; 0.42), anterior chamber depth (p-value: 0.31; 0.23; 0.36) as well as chamber angle width at 0° (p-value: 0.73; 0.27; 0.81) and at 180° (p-value: 0.87; 0.67; 0.89) were not significant.

Using optical coherence tomography of the anterior eye segment in adults after muscle surgery, either in one or in two muscles - in accord with the results in children - no significant changes concerning central corneal thickness, anterior chamber depth and chamber angle width were seen.