Today, cataract surgery is regarded as refractive surgery, mainly aiming emmetropia, and this makes eliminating corneal astigmatism is critical. Corneal astigmatism of more than 1 diopter has been reported in up to 45% of the cataract surgery candidates. It is possible to reduce pre-existing corneal astigmatism by creating a clear corneal incision at the steep meridian of the cornea, however; creating a small incision can correct the only astigmatism up to 1 Diopter, and sometimes this method may not be easy to perform due to the location of steep meridian like the difficulty while creating a superonasal or inferonasal incision at the left eye. This approach is usually sufficient for correcting astigmatism less than 1 D in most eyes. An opposite side clear corneal incision (OCCI) could enhance the flattening effect on the cornea.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
40
Coaxial small incision cataract surgery was performed for all cases using a 2.8 mm keratome placed at steep meridian and 1-mm paracentesis was made 90 degrees apart with a 20-gauge microvitrectomy blade. Surgery was performed with a 30-degree, 0.9-caliper phacoemulsification tip (microtip) with a divide and conquer technique. In the OCCI group, a single penetrating incision was created with 2.8 mm keratome in the clear cornea, 1.5 mm anterior to limbal blood vessels, centered over the steep meridian and opposite the phacoemulsification incision.
Ghazi al-Hariri Surgical Specialties Hospital
Baghdad, Bab-Almuadham, Iraq
Mean astigmatic correction
Astigmatic correction change after the correction surgery
Time frame: After 1 month of surgery
Mean surgically induced astigmatism
Mean surgically induced astigmatism, measured by a vector-corrected method
Time frame: After 1 month of surgery
Change in visual acuity
Uncorrected visual acuity and best corrected visual acuity after the surgery
Time frame: After 1 month of surgery
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