Purpose: This study was carried out to evaluate the effects of pterygium surgery on visual acuity, corneal astigmatism, corneal refraction, and corneal topography and the changes of these parameters in the postoperative period.
Material and Methods: Forty eyes of 34 patients presented with only primary pterygium were included in the present study. Patients with features that could affect corneal topography, such as previous ocular trauma or surgery, corneal scarring, keratoconus, dry eye, and contact lens use, were excluded from the study. After excisional pterygium surgery, primary conjunctival closure was performed.
Results: The mean baseline visual acuity measured by the Snellen chart in decimal improved from 0.78±0.19 to 0.97±0.54 in the 3rd month of the postoperative period. The mean values of SimK were 43.33±1.54 diopters (D) and 44.27 ± 1.43 D preoperatively and postoperatively (at 3rd month), respectively. The baseline topographic astigmatism was significantly decreased from 1.85 ± 1.77 (0.50-7.00) D to 0.65 ± 0.40 (0.20-1.75) D at 3rd month of postoperative period (P = 0.000). While 77.5 % of the patients had regular astigmatism at baseline, oblique and irregular astigmatism was observed in the early postoperative period, but 65 % of these patients turned back to regular astigmatism in the late postoperative period.
Conclusion: Corneal topographic values were stabilized in the first month of the postoperative period. So, the plan of refractive or cataract surgeries may be appropriate after the stabilization of the corneal refractive components following the first month of pterygium surgery.
Key words: Pterygium, corneal topography, pterygium surgery, astigmatism
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