May 2005
Volume 46, Issue 13
Free
ARVO Annual Meeting Abstract  |   May 2005
Starburst Phenomenon in Wavefront–Guided LASIK Compared With Conventional LASIK
Author Affiliations & Notes
  • M. Shah
    Ophthalmology, Loyola University – Chicago, Maywood, IL
  • B. Larson
    Ophthalmology, Loyola University – Chicago, Maywood, IL
  • Footnotes
    Commercial Relationships  M. Shah, None; B. Larson, None.
  • Footnotes
    Support  None.
Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science May 2005, Vol.46, 4366. doi:
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      M. Shah, B. Larson; Starburst Phenomenon in Wavefront–Guided LASIK Compared With Conventional LASIK . Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2005;46(13):4366.

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      © ARVO (1962-2015); The Authors (2016-present)

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Abstract

Abstract: : Purpose: Night vision difficulties consisting of starbursts, glare, and halos are common complaints following refractive surgery. Previously, we have shown starbursts to be detectable in over 90% of post–LASIK patients with the "Larson Glarometer" (Snyder, presented at annual meeting ARVO 2002). Wavefront guided LASIK is thought to reduce night vision symptoms of starbursts, glare, and halos. In this study, we objectively measure and compare starbursts experienced in patients after conventional LASIK with those after wavefront–guided LASIK. Methods: Three groups of patients were independently studied. The first group consisted of post–conventional LASIK patients. The second group consisted of post–wavefront–guided LASIK patients. The third was a non–surgical control group that consisted of myopic spectacle wearers with corrected visual acuity of better than 20/25. All eyes included in this study required no more than 6 diopters of myopic correction. All post–surgical eyes had uncorrected visual acuities of 20/25 or better. Both LASIK procedures were performed with standard techniques and nomograms on the VISX S4 using a 6.5 mm optical zone and an 8 mm blend zone. Starburst radius (SR) was recorded in uncorrected eyes a minimum of 3 months following refractive surgery. A Larson Glarometer was used to quantify the SR. This device, consisting of two low intensity red light sources separated by 4 inches, was placed 8 feet from the subject in a totally dark room. After 15 seconds of dark adaptation, the subjects were asked to compare their perceived starburst pattern to a key card depicting starbursts of different radii. The minimum measurement on the starburst key was 4.0 mm., and the maximum was 50 mm. Results: A total of 72 eyes were measured. In the conventional LASIK group (n=23) the average starburst radius (SR) was 20.4 mm. In the wavefront guided LASIK group (n=26), the average SR was 11.75 mm. In the spectacle control group (n=23) the average SR was (5.5 mm). Both surgical groups showed a statistically significant increase in SR when compared with the control group (p<0.01). The wavefront–guided LASIK group showed a statistically significant decrease in SR compared with conventional LASIK (p<0.05). Conclusions: Using an innovative new device for measuring starburst patterns, our data was able to confirm a statistically significant increase in the amount of starburst pattern glare experienced after both conventional and wavefront–guided LASIK compared with spectacle wearers. In addition, this study demonstrates a new finding: a statistically significant decrease in starburst pattern glare with wavefront–guided LASIK compared with conventional LASIK.

Keywords: refractive surgery: LASIK • refractive surgery: comparative studies • refractive surgery: optical quality 
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