High-cylinder toric intraocular lens implantation versus combined surgery of low-cylinder intraocular lens implantation and limbal relaxing incision for high-astigmatism eyes

Clinical outcomes were compared between high-cylinder toric intraocular lens (IOL) implantation and the combined surgery of low-cylinder toric IOL implantation and limbal relaxing incision (LRI) for correcting preexisting high-amplitude corneal astigmatism. Fifty-seven eyes with preexisting corneal astigmatism of 2.5 diopter (D) or greater were divided into the following two groups: (1) eyes that underwent Alcon AcrySof® IQ Toric T6, T7, T8, or T9 IOL implantation (toric group); and (2) eyes that underwent the combined surgery of AcrySof® IQ Toric T5 IOL implantation and LRI (LRI group). Uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA), best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), manifest, refractive and corneal cylinder (MC, RC, CC), were compared postoperatively. Corneal and ocular higher-order aberrations (HOA) were also compared. At 1 day postoperative, UCVA was significantly better and MC and RC were significantly less in the toric group, however, at 1 and 6 months postoperative, there was no significant difference in those parameters. Postoperative corneal and ocular HOA were significantly greater in the LRI Group. For correcting astigmatism in eyes with a high amount of preexisting astigmatism, high-cylinder toric IOL implantation achieves better clinical outcomes, especially in the early postoperative period, than the combined procedure of moderate-cylinder toric IOL implantation and LRI.