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Custom ablation algorithms should consider optical responses of the cornea
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LISBON, Portugal — Modifying custom ablation algorithms could resolve regional differences in the cornea and optical symmetry between both eyes, said Marco Lombardo, MD, during his presentation at the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons conference.
Compensating for these differences by modifying the algorithm could improve the quality of the whole corneal optic system, said Dr. Lombardo.
He presented the results of a study that aimed to analyze the differences in the biomechanical and optical responses of the peripheral regions of the cornea after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK).
Dr. Lombardo said 60 eyes were measured using corneal topography preoperatively and at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after PRK that was performed with a scanning spot excimer laser. The eyes were divided into four groups based on their preop spherical equivalent refraction. The data was imported into custom mapping software that analyzes regional cornea response and higher-order aberrations.
Preoperatively, the corneas had flatter nasal periphery compared with the temporal one, and the difference was reflected in mirror symmetry of higher order aberrations in both eyes. In contrast, postoperatively, there was a greater curvature of the nasal periphery as compared with the temporal one. The interocular symmetry of higher-order aberrations was also altered, he said.
In the future, custom ablation algorithms should better consider the optical response of the cornea and seek to minimize the asymmetry between the two eyes, Dr. Lombardo said.