Astigmatism prediction in small-incision lenticule extraction

To investigate whether postoperative-induced refractive astigmatism after small-incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) could be predicted by preoperative objective astigmatism measured with autorefraction, keratometry, and Scheimpflug tomography.

University eye clinic.

Retrospective case series.

Only eyes without preoperative subjective astigmatism treated with SMILE for myopia were included. Postoperative subjective astigmatism was compared with preoperative objective astigmatism. Examinations were performed before SMILE and 3 months postoperatively and included subjective refraction, keratometry, autorefraction, and Scheimpflug tomographer measurements. Astigmatism was analyzed using double-angle plots and multivariate statistics.

A total of 358 eyes of 358 patients were included. The mean preoperative sphere was -7.33 diopter (D) ± 1.46 (SD). The postoperative spherical equivalent was -0.30 ± 0.49 D. Postoperatively, 79.6% and 98.9% of patients had a subjective cylinder ≤0.50 D and ≤1.00 D, respectively. Preoperative objective astigmatism measured with keratometry, autorefraction, and Scheimpflug tomography was significantly different (P < .05) from postoperative subjective refraction when all patients were analyzed; for patients with postoperative refractive astigmatism ≥0.50 D, preoperative astigmatism with keratometry and Scheimpflug tomography was not significantly different from postoperative refractive astigmatism. Preoperative objective astigmatism ≥0.50 D increased the risk ratio of postoperative subjective astigmatism ≥0.50 D by 2.2 (P < .001).

Preoperative objective astigmatism could not be directly interchanged with postoperative subjective astigmatism, but the presence of preoperative astigmatism ≥0.50 D doubled the risk of inducing a postoperative subjective astigmatism ≥0.50 D. Extra care when performing subjective refraction should be taken in the presence of high objective astigmatism.