Corneal Higher Order Wavefront Aberrations After Hyperopic Laser in situ Keratomileusis

Abstract

To evaluate the changes in corneal higher order wavefront aberrations after hyperopic laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK). In a prospective case series, 15 eyes of 12 patients who had hyperopic LASIK were evaluated. Corneal topography was obtained before and after hyperopic LASIK with a Nidek EC 5000 laser using 5.5/8.0 ablation zones. Using anterior corneal height data, the changes in corneal higher order wavefront aberrations were calculated. The surgery significantly increased both corneal coma-like aberration (preoperative/6 months postoperative, 0.054/0.147 [172% increase] for 3-mm pupil and 0.381/1.076 [182% increase] for 6-mm pupil) and corneal spherical-like aberration (preoperative/6 months postoperative, 0.039/0.067 [72% increase] for 3-mm pupil and 0.297/0.959 [223% increase] for 6-mm pupil). The surgery significantly decreased Zernike coefficient 12 and the polarity of corneal spherical aberration changed from preoperative positive value to negative postoperatively. For a 3-mm pupil, the achieved changes in spherical equivalent refraction significantly correlated with the induced changes in the corneal coma-like aberration (R = 0.629, P = .010), but not with those in corneal spherical-like aberration (R = 0.408, P=.133) or Zernike coefficient 12 (R = -0.301, P = .282). For a 6-mm pupil, the achieved changes in spherical equivalent refraction significantly correlated with the induced changes in the corneal spherical-like aberration (R = 0.862, P < .0001) and Zemike coefficient 12 (R = -0.872, P < .001) but not with those in corneal coma-like aberration (R = 0.449, P = .094). Hyperopic LASIK significantly increases corneal coma-like and spherical-like aberrations and changes corneal spherical aberration from a positive to negative value.