Effect of recipient-donor trephine size disparity on refractive error in keratoconus

A retrospective study was performed to evaluate the effect of recipient-donor trephine disparity on refractive error and corneal curvature post-suture removal in keratoconus. A double running suture technique was used and donor corneas were trephined from the endothelial side. When keratoconus patients with 0.25-mm larger donor than recipient trephines were compared with keratoconus patients with the same size recipient and donor trephines, a statistically significant increase in the mean keratometer value (45.4 and 43.8 diopters [D], respectively; P = 0.03) and increase in myopic spherical equivalent (-3.5 and -1.8 D, respectively; P = 0.03) was found. When keratoconus patients were compared with phakic Fuchs' dystrophy patients (both groups had 0.25-mm oversize donor trephines), the keratoconus group had a statistically significantly higher myopic spherical equivalent (-3.5 and -1.4 D, respectively; P = 0.03) despite only a 0.7-D difference in mean keratometer value which was not statistically significant (45.4 and 44.7 D, respectively). This study supports the hypothesis that the degree of post-penetrating keratoplasty myopia in patients with keratoconus can be decreased by reducing recipient-donor trephine disparity.