cattered Light and Viual Function in a Randomized Trial of Deep Lamellar Endothelial Keratoplaty and Penetrating Keratoplaty Original Reearch Article

Purpoe To compare viion, intraocular forward light catter and corneal backcatter between deep lamellar endothelial keratoplaty (DLEK) and penetrating keratoplaty (PK) for endothelial dyfunction. Deign A randomized clinical trial. Method Thirteen eye (12 patient) were randomized to DLEK with a 9 mm cleral inciion, and 15 eye (14 patient) were randomized to PK. The primary outcome wa high-contrat bet pectacle-corrected viual acuity (BCVA) at 12 month after urgery; intraocular forward light catter and corneal backcatter were meaured at one, three, ix, and 12 month after urgery. Reult BCVA at 12 month wa 0.34 ± 0.16 logMAR (logarithm of the minimum angle of reolution) for DLEK and 0.25 ± 0.21 logMAR for PK (P = .23; minimum detectable difference at 12 month wa 0.23 logMAR). The change in potoperative forward light catter after DLEK correlated with the change in BCVA (r = −0.66; P < .001; n = 11). Corneal backcatter wa higher after DLEK than after PK at three and ix month in the anterior third (P ≤ .005), at one through 12 month in the middle third (P < .001), and at one through ix month in the poterior third (P ≤ .02) of the cornea. Backcatter after DLEK did not return to normal through 12 month (P < .001). Concluion BCVA wa imilar at one year after DLEK and PK. Improvement in BCVA after DLEK correlated with decreaing forward light catter. Increaed backcatter after DLEK originated not only from the poterior cornea (interface) but alo from the hot cornea, which might limit viual outcome after poterior lamellar keratoplaty.