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Radial keratotomy and glare effects on contrast sensitivity

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Abstract

After radial keratotomy (RK) to correct myopia, some patients complain of ‘glare’. Effects of a glare source on contrast sensitivity were measured in fifteen patients after unilateral RK. With each eye, determinations were made of the contrast required for detection of steady gratings (spatial frequencies of 0.7 and 2.9 cycles/deg), and for detection of flicker (unpatterned field flickering at rates of 8, 16, and 32 Hz). Grating or flicker was presented on a centrally fixated 4 deg test target (34 cd/m2 mean luminance), surrounded by a diffuse glare source (1700 cd/m2 mean luminance). For each stimulus, contrast thresholds were determined with glare-sourceoff and with glaresourceon. ‘Glare loss’ was defined as the decrement in contrast sensitivity measured with the glare source on. Significant findings were: (1) Both eyes showed glare losses for detection of gratings and for detection of flicker; (2) Spectacle lenses increased glare losses both for gratings and for flicker; (3) The RK eye showed a larger glare loss for flicker than the unoperated eye, but a smaller glare-loss for gratings; (4) For both flicker and gratings, glare loss tended to be greater in the RK eye, compared to the unoperated eye, in subjects who hadlarger pupil diameters in the testing situation; (5) The psychophysical measurements obtained in this study were not significantly correlated either with a questionnaire index of glare complaints or with the score obtained with the Miller-Nadler GlareTester.

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Abbreviations

CS:

Contrast Sensitivity, the reciprocal of the contrast threshold

CSD:

Contrast-Sensitivity Disparity, the amount by which the CS of the RKE differs from that of the UE (CSD = [CS of RKE] - [CS of UE])

GL:

Glare Loss, the decrease of CS in the presence of a glare source (GL = [CS with glare] - [CS without glare])

GLD:

Glare-Loss Disparity, the amount by which the GL of the RKE differs from that of the UE (GLD = [GL of RKE] - [GL of UE])

MNGT:

The Miller-Nadler GlareTester

RKE:

Radial Keratotomy Eye, eye that has had RK

PD:

Pupil Diameter (in mm)

RK:

Radial Keratotomy (surgical modification of corneal curvature to correct myopia)

UE:

Unoperated Eye, eye that has not had RK

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ophthalmology, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, 10029, New York, NY, USA

    A. Atkin, P. Asbell, N. Justin, H. Smith, R. Wayne & J. Winterkorn

Authors
  1. A. Atkin
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  2. P. Asbell
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  3. N. Justin
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  4. H. Smith
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  5. R. Wayne
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  6. J. Winterkorn
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Atkin, A., Asbell, P., Justin, N. et al. Radial keratotomy and glare effects on contrast sensitivity. Doc Ophthalmol 62, 129–148 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00229125

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