title: Five-year results of radial keratotomy.
abstract: We present 5-year findings on 198 consecutive radial keratotomy surgeries. Follow-up was obtained on 134 (68%) of these eyes. Mean spherical equivalent (SE) was -4.3 diopters before surgery, average keratometry was 44.11 D, and 75% of eyes had uncorrected distance acuity of 20/400 or worse. Average SE was -0.52 D for eyes seen at 5 years, which compares with -0.78 D for eyes examined at 18 months. Seventeen percent of eyes show at least a 1-D change in refraction from 18 months to 5 years compared with 13% between 18 months and 3 years. Fifty-six percent of eyes are within 1 D of emmetropia at 5 years, compared with 66% at 18 months. Uncorrected visual acuity was at least 20/40 in 62% of eyes seen at 5 years and in 73% of eyes seen at 18 months. Ten percent of eyes have lost at least two lines of best-corrected visual acuity from before surgery to 5 years later. Factors are identified that relate to loss of uncorrected and best corrected acuity over 5 years. Average keratometry at 5 years is 40.7 D, as compared with 41.2 D at 18 months. Long-term keratometric results appear less stable than refractive results and a theory for this instability is presented. The results indicate radial keratotomy to be safe and effective for the vast majority of patients in this series for 5 years postoperatively.
authors.affiliation: Section of Ophthalmology, Cedars Medical Center, Miami, FL.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sawelson
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Marks
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001251:Astigmatism / Q000209:etiology; D002985:Clinical Protocols; D003315:Cornea; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007646:Keratotomy, Radial / Q000009:adverse effects; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D009216:Myopia / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery; D011379:Prognosis; D012029:Refraction, Ocular; D014792:Visual Acuity