Purpose: To assess the relationship between measures of light distortion and retinal straylight in normal and post-LASIK subjects.
Design: Cross-sectional, non-randomized, masked observational case series
Setting: Clinica Oftalmologica Novovision, Madrid, Spain.
Methods: Thirty eyes from 30 healthy subjects (mean age 33.9 ± 8.3 years old; mean spherical equivalent (MSE) -2.06 ± 1.40 D) and thirty six eyes from thirty six refractive surgery patients (mean age 36.1 ± 7.7 years old; mean preop MSE -3.43 ± 2.23 D) were examined with the Starlights and the C-Quant straylightmeter in a case-control study.
Results: The age of both treated and control groups was not statistically different (p > 0.05). Statistically significant differences between controls and post-LASIK eyes were found for luminous distortion index (LDI), but not for retinal straylight. Correlation analysis yielded significant correlation between retinal straylight Log(s) values and BCVA measures (r = 0.379, p = 0.002). Control subjects showed significant correlation between MSE and retinal straylight Log(s) values (r = -0.650, p < 0.001), while post-LASIK eyes showed a significant correlation between LDI and Log(s) values (r = 0.338, p = 0.044) and between Log(s) values and BCVA (r = 0.460, p = 0.005). Correlation between measures obtained by both methods was higher after LASIK than in control eyes, although values were quite scattered in any case.
Conclusion: Light distortion phenomena and retinal straylight measures are correlated in both normal and postsurgical eyes. Both parameters are increased in LASIK subjects compared to control non-operated subjects.