Corneal topography after cataract surgery using a clear corneal incision closed with one radial suture.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether corneal topography and visual recovery are affected by suturing a temporal, clear corneal incision for cataract surgery.


METHODS
Forty-one consecutive phacoemulsification patients (39 eyes) had a 3.2-mm incision sutured with one 10-0 nylon, radial suture removed after 1 postoperative week. Visual acuity (VA) and corneal topography, including best fit sphere (BFS), best fit cylinder (BFC), principle meridian, topographic irregularity (TI), and vector-corrected astigmatism (VCA), were measured preoperatively and 1 day, 1 week, and 1 month postoperatively. Two-tailed t tests and Pearson correlations were calculated.


RESULTS
From the preoperative measurement to 1 week postoperatively, VA improved, BFS (P = .005) and TI (P = .033) increased, and VCA shifted with-the-rule. From 1 week to 1 month postoperatively, BFS (P = .012) and TI (P = .002) decreased. BFC and its direction did not change. Almost all measures were significantly correlated.


CONCLUSIONS
The benefits of sutureless surgery on corneal topography and visual recovery are not degraded by using a suture to prevent wound leakage.
Black
E H
EH
Department of Ophthalmology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 27599-7040, USA.
Cohen
K L
KL
Tripoli
N K
NK
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003315:Cornea / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D019781:Corneal Topography; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D019654:Lens Implantation, Intraocular; D008875:Middle Aged; D018918:Phacoemulsification / Q000379:methods*; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000517:prevention & control; D013536:Suture Techniques; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014792:Visual Acuity; D014945:Wound Healing