Relationship between postoperative residual refractive error and preoperative corneal stiffness in small-incision lenticule extraction

Abstract

Purpose: To explore the relationship between postoperative residual refractive error and preoperative corneal stiffness after small-incision lenticule extraction (SMILE). Setting: Hospital clinic. Design: Retrospective cohort study. Methods: Corneal stiffness was evaluated using the stress–strain index (SSI). Associations between postoperative spherical equivalent (SE) and corneal stiffness were determined using longitudinal regression analysis after adjustment for sex, age, preoperative SE, and other variables. The cohort was divided into halves to compare risk ratios for residual refraction in corneas with different SSI values. Low SSI values were defined as having less-stiff corneas and others as having stiffer corneas. Results: 287 patients (287 eyes) were included. Greater undercorrection was found in less-stiff corneas across all follow-up timepoints (less-stiff corneas: 1 day: −0.36 ± 0.45 diopters [D], 1 month: −0.22 ± 0.36 D, and 3 months: −0.13 ± 0.15 D; stiffer corneas: −0.22 ± 0.37 D, −0.14 ± 0.35 D, and −0.05 ± 0.11 D, respectively). Postoperative refraction exhibited a mean 0.05 D undercorrection for every 0.1-unit decrease in the SSI after adjustment for variables. The SSI accounted for nearly 10% of the variance in refractive outcomes. Less-stiff corneas increased the risk ratio of postoperative absolute SE >0 D and ≥0.25 D by 2.242 (95% CI, 1.334-3.768) and 3.023 (95% CI, 1.466-6.233), respectively, compared with stiffer corneas. Conclusions: Postoperative residual refractive error was associated with preoperative corneal stiffness. Patients with less-stiff corneas had a 2- to 3-fold increased risk of residual refractive error after SMILE. Preoperative analysis of corneal stiffness can help modify nomogram algorithms of surgery and improve the predictability of refractive outcomes.