Favorable outcomes achieved after toric IOL implantation in post-penetrating keratoplasty eyes

Implantation of a toric IOL appears to be a safe and effective method for correcting spherical error and astigmatism in eyes with cataract and a history of penetrating keratoplasty, said Renée D. Solomon, MD.

Dr. Solomon presented outcomes from a prospective study of 10 eyes of 8 patients implanted with a toric IOL after surgery for a visually significant cataract. Inclusion criteria required that the eyes have refractive cylinder between 1 and 5 D after penetrating keratoplasty and have had the graft sutures removed at least 3 months previously. Eric Donnenfeld, MD, performed all of the cataract surgeries.

All eyes experienced improvements in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and cylinder and statistically significant improvements were found in the mean values for both parameters. Mean BCVA improved from 20/70 preoperatively to 20/25 postoperatively. Mean cylinder improved from 3.37 to 1.27 D.

"We believe the reduction in cylinder achieved in these patients represents a significant improvement and supports further study of the implantation of toric IOLs as a method for visual rehabilitation of refractive errors in post-penetrating keratoplasty eyes with visually significant cataracts," Dr. Solomon said.