Elsevier

Ophthalmology

Volume 105, Issue 2, February 1998, Pages 282-286
Ophthalmology

The etiology of refractive changes at high altitude after radial keratotomy: Hypoxia versus hypobaria

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0161-6420(98)93094-9Get rights and content

Objective:

Refractive changes at high altitude that occur after radial keratotomy (RK) may be caused by hypoxia or hypobaria.

Design:

A prospective study was performed to evaluate the effects of hypoxia on RK and non-RK corneas.

Participants:

There were 20 RK and 20 control eyes.

Intervention:

These eyes were subjected to ocular surface hypoxia using an air-tight goggle system at sea level for 2 hours.

Main Outcome Measures:

Keratometry, cycloplegic refraction, and pachymetry were evaluated using repeated measures analysis of variance.

Results:

A significant hyperopic shift (P < 0.0001) and corneal flattening (P < 0.0013) occurred in all subjects with RK compared with those of control subjects. Corneal thickening occurred symmetrically in both groups.

Conclusions:

These results suggest that refractive changes in subjects with RK occur at high altitude as a direct result of corneal hypoxia.

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Presented as a poster at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, Chicago, Illinois, October 1996.

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