title: The effect of surgical correction of epiblepharon on astigmatism in children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the characteristics of astigmatism in epiblepharon and postoperative astigmatic changes in children.
  
  
  METHODS
  The authors undertook a retrospective chart review of 56 patients who underwent an epiblepharon operation. Preoperative astigmatism was compared with postoperative astigmatism according to age at surgery, the presence of amblyopia, and unilateral epiblepharon.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Astigmatism decreased from a preoperative mean of 1.34 +/- 1.25 D with-the-rule astigmatism to a postoperative mean of 1.10 +/- 1.14 D with-the-rule astigmatism in all patients (P = .055), and this reduction was statistically significant in the 5- to 7-year age group (P = .038), amblyopic eyes (P = .021), and affected eyes in cases of unilateral epiblepharon (P = .004).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Epiblepharon operations were found to change astigmatism. The results obtained suggest that an epiblepharon operation should be considered in patients with amblyopia and epiblepharon prior to the general treatment of amblyopia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Chonnam National University Medical School & Hospital, Gwangju, South Korea.
authors.forename: Sang Woo
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Ji Yong
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Sok
authors.forename: Yeoung Geol
authors.initials: YG
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D001251:Astigmatism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005141:Eyelid Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013508:Ophthalmologic Surgical Procedures; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery*