EFFECT OF ALIGNMENT OF CLEAR CORNEAL INCISION ON PREEXISTING ASTIGMATISM IN PHACOEMULSIFICATION

Dr. Sangeeta Shisode (Patil); Dr. Sweety Balram Dahatonde

Volume : VI, Issue : VII, July - 2016

EFFECT OF ALIGNMENT OF CLEAR CORNEAL INCISION ON PREEXISTING ASTIGMATISM IN PHACOEMULSIFICATION

Dr. Sangeeta Shisode Patil , Dr. Sweety Balram Dahatonde

Abstract :

Introduction– Cataract surgery is regarded as refractive surgery, aiming emmetropia which makes eliminating corneal astigmatism necessary. Aim– To study the effect of alignment of clear corneal incision on pre–existing astigmatism in phacoemulsification Materials & Methods–In study of 100 patients with mild to moderate corneal astigmatism 2.8mm perpendicular incision is placed on steep corneal meridian measured by Keratometry. Placement of steep corneal temporal or superior incision results in with–the–rule or against–the–rule astigmatism respectively. Results–The mean preoperative astigmatism was 1.41±0.58 D with a range from 0.75–3D. The mean post–operative astigmatism was 1.06±0.49 D with a range from 0.25 to 3 diopters. The change in astigmatism was –1.25 D to + 0.50 D with a mean change of –0.52±0.27 D. The difference is found statistically significant (p–0.0001). Conclusion–Alignment of clear corneal incision on steep meridian is simple way to reduce preexisting astigmatism in phacoemulsification cataract surgery. The preexisting astigmatism decreases more in superotemporal incision than superior or superonasal incision.