PURPOSE
To determine whether preoperative marking of the limbal cornea improves treatment of myopic astigmatism with the excimer laser.
METHODS
Retrospective study on 108 eyes with myopic astigmatism that underwent LASIK or laser epithelial keratomileusis (LASEK) with the Technolas 217 (Bausch & Lomb) excimer laser. Preoperative limbal marking was performed in 47 eyes (marked group). The 12-month results were used for refractive and visual analysis.
RESULTS
The achieved cylinder reduction, spherical reduction, and refractive predictability were similar for the marked and unmarked groups in the overall study collective, in the LASIK and LASEK subgroup analysis, and in a higher astigmatism (>1.25 diopters) subgroup analysis. Limbal marking showed no influence on the refractive results, and vector analysis showed no significant difference in angle of error among groups.
CONCLUSIONS
Corneal limbal marking failed to improve the refractive outcome in LASIK and LASEK for myopic astigmatism. [J Refract Surg. 2010;26(7):505-511.]
AUTHORS
From Augenklinik, Kantonsspital, Lucerne, Switzerland (Bucher, Schipper); Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom (Zuberbuhler); South Australian Institute of Ophthalmology, University of Adelaide, Australia (Goggin); and School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia (Esterman).
Dr Zuberbuhler is on the advisory board of Zubisoft Corp. The remaining authors have no financial or proprietary interest in the materials presented herein.
Correspondence: Isaak Schipper, MD, Augenklinik, Kantonsspital, CH-6000 Lucerne 16, Switzerland. Tel: 41 412 051 111; Fax: 41 412 053 406; E-mail: isaak.schipper@ksl.ch
Received: October 8, 2008; Accepted: July 23, 2009
Posted online: August 17, 2009
doi:10.3928/1081597X-20090814-01
