Purpose To evaluate the accuracy of intraocular lens (IOL) power calculation in a patient cohort with short axial eye length to assess the performance of IOL power calculation schemes in strong hyperopes. Methodology The study was a single centre, single surgeon retrospective consecutive case series at the Augen- und Laserklinik, Castrop-Rauxel, Germany. Inclusion of patients after uneventful cataract surgery implanting either spherical (SA60AT) or aspheric (ZCB00) IOLs. Inclusion criteria were axial eye length 28.5 D. Lens constants were optimised on a separate patient cohort considering the full bandwidth of axial eye length. Data of one single eye per patient were randomly included. The outcome measures were: mean absolute prediction error (MAE), median absolute prediction error, mean prediction error with SD and median prediction error and the percentage of eyes with an MAE within 0.25 D, 0.5 D, 0.75 D and 1.0 D. Results A total of 150 eyes from 150 patients were assessed. Okulix, PEARL-DGS, Kane and Castrop provided a statistically significantly smaller MAE compared with the Hoffer Q and SRK/T formulae. Conclusion In our patient cohort with short axial eye length, the use of PEARL-DGS, Okulix, Kane or Castrop formulae showed the lowest MAE. The Castrop formula has not been published before, but will be disclosed with a ready-to-use Excel sheet as an addendum to this paper.

PURPOSE: To determine the riboflavin concentration gradient in the anterior corneal stroma when using hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) or dextran as the carrier agent. METHODS: Four different groups of porcine corneas (5 each) were compared regarding the riboflavin concentration in the anterior stroma. Prior to all experiments, stable hydration conditions were established for the corresponding solution. The dextran groups were treated with 0.1% riboflavin in 20% dextran for 10 and 30 minutes and the HPMC groups with 0.1% riboflavin in 1.1% HPMC for 10 and 30 minutes. After imbibition, nonlinear microscopy and consecutive image analysis were used to determine two-photon fluorescence intensities. To determine the riboflavin concentration, corneas were saturated and measured a second time by two-photon microscopy. With this measurement, a proper correction for absorption and scattering could be performed. Ultraviolet-A (UVA) transmission was measured after the application time for each group. RESULTS: Riboflavin concentration decreased with increasing depth and increased with longer application times in all groups. Comparing the dextran for 30 minutes and HPMC for 10 minutes groups, a significantly higher stromal riboflavin concentration was found within the most anterior 70 µ m in the dextran group for 30 minutes, whereas deeper than 260 µ m HPMC-assisted imbibition for 10 minutes yielded higher concentrations. In dextran-treated corneas, values obtained from pachymetry were substantially reduced, whereas HPMC-assisted imbibition led to a decent swelling. UVA transmission values were higher in dextran-assisted imbibition than in HPMC-assisted imbibition. CONCLUSIONS: Stromal riboflavin gradients are similar when applied in dextran for 30 minutes and HPMC for 10 minutes. When using HPMC solutions, a shallower cross-linked volume is expected due to a higher corneal hydration. [ J Refract Surg . 2016;32(12):798–802.]

To determine the safety of superficial corneal crosslinking after laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK). Institut für Refraktive und Ophthalmo-Chirurgie, Zurich, Switzerland. Prospective study. Eyes with an ectasia risk score of 2 or higher were treated with standard LASIK (90 μm flap) for myopia correction, after which a rapid corneal crosslinking was performed in the interface (riboflavin 0.5% for 2 minutes, 9 mW/cm(2) for 5 minutes) (Group 1). The follow-up was up to 1 year. The prevalence of complications was statistically compared with that in a group of eyes matched regarding age, sex, and attempted refractive correction that were treated with standard LASIK only (Group 2). One month postoperatively, 5 eyes in Group 1 lost 1 line of corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) compared with 1 eye in Group 2 (P < .05). One year postoperatively, all eyes regained their preoperative CDVA, indicating a complication rate of less than 5%. The refractive success was identical in both groups. Early postoperative complications such as erosions (16%), diffuse lamellar keratitis (DLK) stage 1 (38%), and DLK stage 2 (5%) were statistically significantly more frequent after superficial corneal crosslinking, leading to a statistically significantly reduced uncorrected distance visual acuity at 1 month (P < .001). Based on 1-year results, superficial corneal crosslinking might be considered a safe adjunct to LASIK, with a delayed visual rehabilitation and a higher prevalence of transient side effects. It is not proved whether superficial corneal crosslinking can prevent iatrogenic keratectasia. No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.

Purpose. To experimentally evaluate the efficacy of corneal crosslinking (CXL) by injecting the photomediator riboflavin into the corneal stroma via intrastromal channels. Methods. Five groups of pig corneas, nine each, were compared regarding stress–strain relationship and UV-absorption. Group 1 had intrastromal channels floated with riboflavin 0.5%-solution followed by UVA-irradiation (3 mW/cm² for 30 minutes); group 2 was handled like group 1, but were irradiated with 9 mW/cm² for 10 minutes; group 3 was treated according to the Dresden protocol (epi-off, 9 mW/cm² for 10 minutes); group 4 had the identical channel system, no riboflavin but identical irradiation; group 5 with native corneas served as a control group. The intrastromal channels were created with a femtosecond laser. The stress–strain relations were measured in corneal strips using a uniaxial material tester at strains up to 12%. The UV-transmission of the corneas was measured in groups 1, 3, and 5. Results. The stress needed for a 10% strain was significantly increased by 82% in the corneas treated with the Dresden protocol compared with native cornea (P = 0.0005). With intrastromal application of riboflavin the significant increase was 87% (P = 0.0005) in group 1 and 64% (P = 0.007) in group 2. The channel formation alone did not alter biomechanics (P = 0.923). The corneal UVA-transmission was 2.4% after intrastromal riboflavin application, 8.9% after the treatment according to the Dresden protocol, and 57.9% in native corneas. Conclusions. The experiments demonstrate the intrastromal application of riboflavin by means of intrastromal channels a feasible “epi-on” approach for CXL. More experimental data are needed before clinical testing.