ONE-YEAR POSTOPERATIVE ASTIGMATIC COMPARISON OF SUTURED AND UNSUTURED 4.0 MM SCLERAL POCKET INCISIONS

The postoperative astigmatic course of unsutured and sutured 4.0 mm scleral pocket incisions was followed for one year in a small pilot study. Initially, with-the-rule changes were noted only in the sutured group; eventually both groups demonstrated a small against-the-rule change that did not differ clinically or statistically. At one year after surgery the group without suture closure developed a -0.45 diopter (D) shift while a -0.34 D change was noted in the group closed with the anchor suture method. The unsutured group of eyes demonstrated physical stability as did those eyes with suture closure; no cases developed wound leaks, hypotony, or filtration blebs. Mean intraocular pressure was statistically unchanged from preoperative levels at one day after surgery for both groups. No case demonstrated postoperative endophthalmitis. Properly performed no-stitch corneal valve incisions provide physical and astigmatic stability that is indistinguishable from sutured incisions.