The cornea is a transparent avascular structure which forms the anterior one sixth of the eyeball. It is one of the major refractive media in the eye.
Many of the refraction procedures alter the corneal curvature in order to manipulate the refractive error. The history and evolution of refractive surgeries are most fascinating in the field of ophthalmology. Jose Barrquer who is considered father of refractive surgery performed the first corneal lamellar surgery in 1948 to reshapen the cornea. In 1978 incisional refractive surgery named radial keratotomy(RK) was performed by Slava Fyodorov. This was the widespread procedure used until the advent of laser refractive surgeries like LASIK (laser assisted in situ keratomileusis), LASEK (laser assisted …show more content…
Indian J Ophthalmol. 2008 Nov-Dec; 56(6): 489–494.) When considered independently both refractive surgeries and cataract surgeries are successful. But cataract surgery is more challenging in patients who have had refractive surgery than in those who have not had refractive surgery as these are a difficult subset of patients for many reasons: - the IOL calculations are less predictable, the surgical procedure may be difficult. Also these patients have high demands and are not tolerant to residual refractive errors. With the latest improvements in technology and surgical techniques, it is possible to perform faster and more reliable cataract surgeries but the final post operative refraction depends mainly on the calculations performed prior to surgery. Although IOL calculation in normal eyes is relatively straightforward it is complex and difficult in eyes that have undergone prior refractive surgeries. This breakdown results in refractive surprises following cataract surgery.
This study which shows the outcome of post refractive cataract surgery from a tertiary care centre in south India is a rare case