Videokeratographic evaluation of peripheral redeepening in the cadaver eye

Radial incisions must be deep enough to correct myopia. As currently performed, most surgeons set their diamond blades at a constant depth and do not alter the blade length throughout the procedure. The cornea is not uniformly thick; the central cornea is the thinnest and it thickens toward the periphery. Therefore, an incision of constant depth would be deeper centrally and thinner peripherally. Peripheral redeepening of the cornea would in theory make the incision depth deeper throughout and should increase the effect of radial incisions. We reviewed the literature on this technique and performed radial incisional studies on the human cadaver eye using videokeratography to measure incision depth indirectly. Based on our studies, we believe that peripheral redeepening has no effect on central cornea flattening.