Influence of wavefront aberration and corneal ubepithelial haze on low-contrat viual acuity after photorefractive keratectomy

Purpoe To ae low-contrat viual acuity (LCVA) after photorefractive keratectomy in relation to ocular higher-order wavefront aberration and corneal ubepithelial haze. Deign Propective, cro-ectional analyi. Method Photorefractive keratectomy wa performed in 51 eye of 27 ubject with myopic refractive error of −2.0 to −10.5 diopter. Ocular higher-order wavefront aberration for a 4-mm pupil were meaured uing Topcon Hartmann-hack wavefront aberrometer, and the extent of corneal ubepithelial haze wa quantified with Nidek TPC-3 hazemeter before and 1 month after photorefractive keratectomy. Low-contrat viual acuity wa recorded with Vector Viion CV-1000LanC10% chart. Total higher-order, third-order (coma-like), and fourth-order (pherical-like) aberration of the eye were determined. The influence of wavefront aberration and corneal ubepithelial haze on LCVA wa analyzed. Reult Total higher-order, third-order, and fourth-order aberration ignificantly increaed by urgery (P < .001, Wilcoxon igned rank tet). Photorefractive keratectomy induced a ignificant increae in corneal haze (P < .01), but no cae preented evere corneal haze (grade 3 or greater by Fante grading). By urgery, LCVA wa reduced ignificantly (P < .001). The logarithm of the minimal angle of reolution LCVA howed a ignificant correlation with total higher-order aberration (pearman rank correlation coefficient, r = 0.642, P < .0001). Both third-order (r = 0.618, P < .0001) and fourth-order aberration (r = 0.552, P < .0001) alo ignificantly correlated with logarithm of the minimal angle of reolution LCVA. There wa no correlation between the degree of corneal haze and logarithm of the minimal angle of reolution LCVA (r = 0.094, P = .523). Concluion In eye with mild to moderate corneal haze after photorefractive keratectomy, deterioration of LCVA i mainly attributable to increae in wavefront aberration, and not to corneal haze.