Abstract
Abstract: :
Purpose: We observed an unexpected improvement in the best spectacle corrected visual acuity (BSCVA) of amblyopic eyes of adult patients after undergoing LASIK. We conducted two retrospective investigations: the first one compared the pre-operative BSCVA with the post-operative UCVA (uncorrected visual acuity) and the second one compared the pre-operative BSCVA with the post-operative BSCVA in an effort to detect an improvement after LASIK in patients with amblyopia. Methods: The records of all patients with a prior history of amblyopia undergoing consecutive bilateral LASIK from 11/1999 to 10/2002 were retrospectively reviewed. Thirteen patients (8 men and 5 women) with mean age of 41 (range, 22-61) having amblyopia (12 unilateral; 1 bilateral = 14 eyes) were identified. Results: Six eyes had a history of anisometropic amblyopia and 4 other eyes had a history of strabismic amblyopia. Five eyes underwent prior patching therapy and 2 eyes prior strabismus surgery. Eight eyes had myopia with astigmatism, 4 eyes had hyperopia with astigmatism and 2 eyes had mixed astigmatism. Fifty percent of eyes (n=7) experienced an improvement in post-operative UCVA as compared to pre-op BSCVA. Eleven eyes (78.6%) experienced an improvement in post-op BSCVA as compared to pre-op BSCVA (2 eyes > 2 lines; 8 eyes > 1 line). Two eyes (14.3%) were worsened by less than one line (2 to 3 letters). Conclusions: LASIK in eyes with a prior history of amblyopia can variably improve post-operative BSCVA compared to pre-op BSCVA in a relatively high percentage (78.6%) of patients and post-op UCVA compared to pre-op BSCVA in half the patients. In addition to reducing the dependence on spectacles, LASIK may be advantageous for select amblyopic eyes by improving BCVA.
Keywords: refractive surgery: LASIK • refractive surgery: comparative studies • amblyopia