Symptomatic corneal topographic change induced by reading in downgaze

Objective: To elucidate the cause of monocular blur or diplopia after reading in downgaze. Methods: Corneal topography was obtained before and after a 15- to 30-minute reading effort in downgaze in three symptomatic patients and in nine asymptomatic control subjects. Results: Changes in corneal topographic color maps, corneal uniformity index, and predicted corneal acuity were found in the symptomatic patients but not in the control subjects before and after reading. Conclusion: Changes in corneal topography can occur after prolonged reading in downgaze and may produce symptoms of blur or monocular diplopia.