Reasons for not performing surface ablation refractive surgery in Saudi population

Abstract

PURPOSE: The primary goal of this study is to analyze the reasons why refractive surgery was not performed for candidates who requested the procedure among single eye-clinic visitors in Saudi Arabia. Secondarily, we aimed to determine the corneal parameters that are characteristic of Saudi population and to figure out the relationship between the magnitude of central corneal thickness and the degree of myopia. METHODS: A retrospective data was collected for all patients who presented to a single-surgeon eye clinic at King Abdul Aziz Medical City-National Guard, Saudi Arabia, seeking refractive surgery between January 2010 and December 2015. RESULTS: Unstable refraction (21.78%) followed by amblyopia with unrealistic expectations (18.75%) and high myopia (15.62%) were the most common reasons not to proceed with refractive surgery in the included sample. The mean central corneal thickness for all patients included in this study was (538 μm ± 32.6). We found no significant relationship between central corneal thickness and the degree of myopia OD [rs(178) = −0.017, P = 0.823] and OS [rs(182) = 0.016, P = 0.831] for right and left eyes, respectively. CONCLUSION: Unstable refraction followed by amblyopia with unrealistic expectations and high myopia were the leading causes not to perform refractive surgery in this study. No significant relationship can be figured out between central corneal thickness and the degree of myopia.

Causes for Rejection of Keratorefractive Surgery in a Central Indian Population

“…Previous studies have reported that the rejection rate varies from 21% to 34%. [1][2][3][4][5][6]. The most common reason for rejection in our study was suboptimal corneal thickness (n = 28, 32.6%).…”

“…Refractive surgery in such patients may lead to patient dissatisfaction in the future or may become the cause of an early sign of corneal ectasia. Alsulami et al reported it as the most common reason for rejection in their study [4].…”

“…The expectations from the procedure are high. Large variations have been observed in corneal parameters across the world [1,[3][4][5]. In the present study, we aimed to explore the reasons for not performing KRS and the correlation between the degree of myopia and corneal thickness.…”

“…Therefore, we excluded patients with a history of collagen vascular diseases. Alsulami reported that out of 50 patients, 18 patients were rejected for non-medical reasons [4].…”

“…In the present study, we identified the reasons for not performing refractive surgery in the central Indian population and determined whether any correlation exists between the corneal thickness and degree of myopia. Although we identified a few reports that have elaborated on the reasons for not performing refractive surgery in candidates presenting for surgery [1][2][3][4][5][6]. No study has been conducted on the central Indian population so far.…”