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Loss of accommodation after retinal cryotherapy insignificant, self-limiting
Am J Ophthalmol. 2009;147(1):116-120.
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Researchers found no difference in accommodative amplitude between baseline and post-treatment values in patients receiving retinal cryotherapy for lattice degeneration.
Previous studies have established that cryotherapy is highly effective in preventing retinal detachment secondary to lattice degeneration, but researchers have also noted disruptions in accommodative ability after cryotherapy.
In a cohort of 92 eyes of 69 patients ranging in age from 13 to 79 years of age, mean post-treatment accommodative amplitude measured 4.22 D at 1 week, 4.47 D at 3 weeks, 4.67 D at 6 weeks and 4.55 at 9 weeks, and all measurements were lower that the mean pretreatment measurement of 5.57 D. However, the difference was not statistically significant at any time point.
Further analysis by age showed that patients 10 to 29 years old had significant reductions in accommodation at 1 and 3 weeks but non-statistically significant decreases at 6 and 9 weeks compared with baseline.
In the study, an increase in the number of cryotherapy spots was associated with a decrease in accommodative amplitude.