Diagnostic and therapeutic technology assessment. Radial keratotomy for simple myopia

There was a lack of consensus among DATTA panelists about the safety and, especially, the effectiveness of radial keratotomy. For patients with a preoperative refractive error greater than -6.00 D, DATTA panelists believed that radial keratotomy has not been established as safe or effective. Concerns about effectiveness focused on the lack of predictability of the results and the continuing change in the refractive error following surgery. Daily fluctuations in visual acuity and the occurrence of anisometropia were other reported adverse events that contributed to the concern expressed by DATTA panelists. Concern over the safety and effectiveness of the procedure became greater as the magnitude of the preoperative refractive error increased. Nevertheless, there is a subpopulation of myopic patients who regard their myopia as a sufficiently severe handicap for them to undergo radial keratotomy. Such carefully chosen patients who have the procedure performed may achieve emmetropia and be free of corrective lenses.