Changes in accommodative function following small-incision lenticule extraction for high myopia

Abstract

Purpose To examine whether the amplitude of accommodation, the accommodative response, and the accommodative facility is affected and correlated with changes in higher-order aberrations for patients with high myopia surgically treated with small-incision lenticule extraction (SMILE). Methods 35 highly myopic eyes (myopic spherical equivalent of at least 6 diopters) of 35 patients treated with SMILE were included. Assessments were made before and 3 months after surgery. Donders push-up-method was used to measure the amplitude of accommodation. The accommodative response was assessed using an open-field autorefractor”Grand Seiko WAM-5500” (Grand Seiko Co. Ltd., Hiroshima, Japan) in combination with a Badal optometer and stimuli of accommodation at 0.0, 0.5, 1.25, 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0 D, respectively. Accommodative facility was measured at 40 cm with ±2,00D flipper lenses. All measurements of accommodation were performed monocularly with the refractive error corrected with soft contact lenses. Results The amplitude of accommodation did not change statistically significantly (mean difference -0.24 D (SD 0.98), 95% CI of mean difference -0.58 D to 0.11 D, paired-sample t(34) = -1.39; P = 0.17). The accommodative responses at 0.0, 0.5, 1.25, 2.0, 3.0, and 4.0 D did not statistically significantly change either (F(6,29) = 1.15; P = .36). Finally, the accommodative facility was also unchanged with a mean difference of 1.11 cycles per minute (SD 5.11, 95% CI of mean difference -0.64 to 2.87, paired-sample t(34) = 1.29; P = 0.21). No clinically significant associations between changes in accommodation and higher-order aberrations were found. Conclusions SMILE does not alter the amplitude of accommodation, the accommodative response, nor the accommodative facility for highly myopic patients, and the surgically induced corneal higher-order aberrations do not affect the accommodative function.

The Outcomes of Asthenopia after ICL Implantation and Its Related Factors

“…After 3 months of intensive exercises, accommodating functions improved greatly, forming a new balance and relieving asthenopia, which was equally reflected in other research results [13].…”

“…AF measures the reaction speed of accommodating changes [14], which decreased 1 week after surgeries, exceed the preoperative level at 1 month and was much higher at 3 months after surgeries in this study. Other researches of ICL [9,10] and corneal refractive surgeries [13,15,16] showed similar results. They believed that AF declined related to contrast sensitivity transient reduction, and gradually increased with the recovery of visual clarity and the accommodative increasing needs.…”