Corneal thickness variation during eight-incision radial keratotomy

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Refractive Surgery
• Corneal Anatomy

Background:

• Radial keratotomy (RK) is a refractive surgical procedure to correct myopia.
• Accurate corneal measurements are crucial for successful RK outcomes.
• Understanding corneal thickness variability is essential for optimizing surgical precision.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the degree of corneal thickness variability at the optical zone during eight-incision radial keratotomy.
• To assess the impact of location and patient-specific factors on corneal thickness measurements.

Main Methods:

• Statistical analysis of pachymetry measurements from 140 consecutive eight-incision RK cases.
• Assessment of corneal thickness at eight circumferential optical zone locations.
• Evaluation of intra-patient and inter-patient variability, considering central corneal thickness and optical zone size.

Main Results:

• Mean adjusted corneal thickness varied by 10 microns between superior and inferior locations.
• In over 10% of cases, the adjusted difference in corneal thickness exceeded 30 microns.
• Central corneal thickness and optical zone size significantly influenced the observed variability.

Conclusions:

• Corneal thickness at the optical zone during eight-incision RK exhibits significant location-dependent variability.
• The findings question the adequacy of a uniform blade depth setting for all incisions in RK.
• Further research may be needed to refine surgical planning based on individual corneal topography.