Surgically ınduced astigmatism following medial rectus recession: short-term and long-term outcomes

Abstract

Purpose: The current study aimed to investigate short-and long-term postoperative ocular refractive effects of medial rectus recession on the involved eye and to describe the detectable effects in detail by the results of vector analysis. Methods: Data of patients in whom medial rectus recession was performed between 2010 and 2012 were retrospectively evaluated. The study included 52 eyes of 32 patients. Patients with a history of previous ocular surgery, congenital or progressive corneal disease, familial or acquired posterior segment disease, glaucoma, a history of ocular trauma, or any neurological or systemic disease were excluded. Best-corrected and uncorrected visual acuities and refraction examination findings of the patients were recorded before the surgery and at the postoperative first month and first year. A vector analysis program was used to analyze surgically induced astigmatism. Results: Significant myopic shift and astigmatic change were determined in the spherical equivalent refraction in the early postoperative period (first month); however, these changes disappeared in the long term (at the postoperative first year). A positive correlation was not observed between the amount of surgical recession and the results of ophthalmic examination at the postoperative first month and first year. Conclusions: Only postoperative first month spherical equivalent showed a positive correlation with the amount of surgical recession; however, this correlation disappeared at the postoperative first year.