title: The nationwide study of epikeratophakia for aphakia in adults.
abstract: In the nationwide study of epikeratophakia, 154 ophthalmic surgeons who had attended a training course performed 519 procedures for the correction of aphakia in adults: 310 of the eyes had 30 or more days of follow-up after suture removal. Of 229 eyes, 172 (75%) were within 3 diopters of emmetropia after surgery. Of 259 eyes, 245 (95%) demonstrated improved uncorrected visual acuity; 138 (53%) improved by four or more Snellen lines. Of 265 eyes, 209 (78%) achieved within two lines or improved their best corrected visual acuity. Of the 119 patients who achieved or improved their preoperative best corrected visual acuity, 110 (92%) were within two Snellen lines or better by 30 to 60 days after suture removal. Of the 127 patients with more than three months of follow-up after suture removal, 124 (98%) of those between 18 and 70 years of age but only 13 of 23 (54%) of those between 81 and 87 years of age achieved within two lines or better of their best corrected visual acuity. Corneal astigmatism measured by keratometry changed from a preoperative mean (+/- S.D.) of 2.1 +/- 1.8 diopters to a postoperative mean of 2.7 +/- 2.6 diopters. Of the 519 tissue lenses, 22 (4%) were removed, and one third of these patients underwent a second, successful epikeratophakia procedure.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001035:Aphakia / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000534:rehabilitation / Q000601:surgery*; D003315:Cornea / Q000601:surgery*; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012029:Refraction, Ocular; D012086:Reoperation; D014792:Visual Acuity