Femtosecond laser-assisted astigmatic keratotomy for postoperative trabeculectomy-induced corneal astigmatism

Abstract

Purpose: To describe a case of postoperative trabeculectomy-induced corneal astigmatism treated with femtosecond laser-assisted astigmatic keratotomy.

Methods: After trabeculectomy, the patient demonstrated change in manifest refraction from -0.5 diopters preoperatively to mixed astigmatism of -3.5 + 5.25@100 postoperatively and a decrease in uncorrected distance visual acuity from 20/60 preoperatively to 20/200 at 1 month postoperatively. Because the patient was intolerant to spectacle use, she underwent femtosecond laser-assisted astigmatic keratotomy.

Results: After astigmatic keratotomy there was improvement in corneal topographic astigmatism from 4.15 to 0.81 diopters with uncorrected distance visual acuity of 20/60(-2) and manifest refraction of -0.75 + 1.0@90 at 3 months postoperatively. There were no intraoperative or postoperative complications.

Conclusions: Femtosecond laser-assisted astigmatic keratotomy may be considered in eyes with postoperative trabeculectomy-induced mixed astigmatism.