Contrast Sensitivity and Ocular Aberrometry in Patients Operated on for Myopia with Surface Techniques

Abstract

Objective: To determine the change in contrast sensitivity in patients operated on for myopia with surface techniques and its relationship with ocular aberrometry.

Methods: An experimental study was carried out with 324 eyes of 162 myopic patients treated at the Refractive Surgery Clinic of the Cuban Institute of Ophthalmology "Ramón Pando Ferrer" between January 2019 and March 2020 who underwent refractive surgery with excimer laser and surface techniques and aspheric ablation profile. Contrast sensitivity was the main variable of comparison between both surgical techniques. Two groups of patients were sequentially assigned, the first group underwent PRK-MMC (81) and the second LASEK-MMC (81) with a 3-month follow-up.

Results: Women with mild myopia and ages between 21 and 28 years predominated. After 3 months contrast sensitivity, uncorrected visual acuity, spherical equivalent and total average square value improved significantly, showing a positive relationship with contrast sensitivity in both groups, with no differences between them.

Conclusions: Contrast sensitivity improves with surface techniques and has a positive and significant relationship with visual, refractive and aberrometric outcomes. The study of ocular aberrations provides a fundamental tool to assess the optical quality of the human eye, information that allows us to know the vision quality that can be expected in the patients evaluated.