Abstract
Purpose :
To evaluate postoperative esthetic outcome of the conjunctiva after small-incision strabismus surgery using a novel conjunctival tassel method.
Methods :
Ten eyes (10 patients) with horizontal strabismus that underwent small-incision strabismus surgery using the conjunctival tassel method in Okayama University Hospital were studied. Postoperative cosmetic outcome was evaluated by comparing conjunctival redness with 20 eyes of 10 normal subjects. Using imaging analysis software, a color image of the conjunctiva was split into RGB channels and the red channel was extracted and converted to a brightness image. The mean brightness level of the conjunctival area enclosed by the cornea was compared between 3 groups: normal eyes, 1-week postoperative patients’ eyes, and 1-month postoperative patients’ eyes using Kruskal-Wallis test.
Results :
The mean (standard deviation) brightness level of redness was 16 (7) in normal group, 77 (26) in 1-week postoperative group, and 21 (14) in 1-month postoperative group, with a significant difference among 3 groups (P<0.001). In 2-group comparisons, a significant difference was found between normal and 1-week postoperative groups (P<0.001), and between 1-week and 1-month postoperative groups (P=0.002), but no significant difference was detected between normal and 1-month postoperative groups (P=0.499). Conjunctival redness was resolved to normal level 1 month after strabismus surgery using the conjunctival tassel method.
Conclusions :
These results suggest that postoperative recovery occurs within one month after the small-incision strabismus surgery using the novel conjunctival tassel method. This small incision method has superior esthetic outcome and provides a sufficiently wide operative field comparable to the limbal approach.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2018 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Honolulu, Hawaii, April 29 - May 3, 2018.