Effect of trabeculectomy on ocular and corneal higher order aberrations

Abstract

To examine the effect of trabeculectomy on ocular and corneal higher order wavefront aberrations. Trabeculectomy with a limbal-based conjunctival flap was performed in 13 patients (13 eyes). Ocular and corneal higher order aberrations were measured using a wavefront analyzer before and after surgery. The higher order aberrations for a 4-mm pupil diameter were expanded into Zernike's polynomials. Coma aberration, spherical aberration, and total higher order aberrations were evaluated as root mean square values. Mean intraocular pressure was significantly reduced from 15.5±3.1mmHg preoperatively to 7.5±3.5 and 7.2±4.4mmHg at 1 and 3months after surgery, respectively. The mean spherical equivalent refractive error was not changed by the surgery. Mean vector powers for surgically induced refractive changes at 1 and 3months postoperatively were 1.29±0.69 and 1.30±0.89 diopters, respectively. Corneal coma-like, spherical-like, and total higher order aberrations were not significantly changed by surgery. Trabeculectomy significantly increased ocular coma-like (P=0.0021) and total (P=0.0019) higher-order aberrations at 1month, but not at 3months postoperatively. Ocular coma-like and total aberrations were significantly increased at 1month after trabeculectomy with a limbal-based conjunctival flap, but they had returned to normal levels by 3months.