The Effect of Chalazion Excision on Corneal Aberrometric and Densitometric Values

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of chalazion excision on corneal aberrations and corneal densitometry. METHODS: Thirty-six patients with a chalazion in 1 eyelid and 40 healthy subjects were included in the study. Corneal aberration parameters of total root mean square (RMS), RMS high-order aberration (HOA), horizontal trefoil, oblique trefoil, horizontal coma, vertical coma, and spherical aberration values were measured using Scheimpflug corneal topography (Pentacam HR; Oculus Optikgeräte GmbH, Wetzler, Germany). Corneal densitometry values measured from 4 regions of the cornea (0–2, 2–6, 6–10, and 10–12 mm) and 4 corneal depths (anterior, central, posterior, and total) were recorded. Preoperative measurements of the patients (Group 1), postoperative first-month measurements (Group 2), and control group (Group 3) measurements were compared. RESULTS: The total RMS measurement was 1.64±0.48 μm in Group 1, 1.35±0.32 μm in Group 2, and 1.17±0.38 μm in Group 3 (Group 1–2: p=0.007, Group 1–3: p<0.001, Group 2-3: p=0.173). The mean spherical aberration value was 0.183±0.057 μm in Group 1, 0.157±0.048 μm in Group 2, and 0.144±0.050 μm in Group 3 (Group 1–2: p=0.104, Group 1-3: p=0.004, Group 2–3: p=0.781). The total corneal densitometric measurement was 15.95±1.80 gray scale units (GSU) in Group 1, 14.76±1.76 GSU in Group 2, and 14.33±1.49 GSU in Group 3 (Group 1–2: p=0.01, Group 1–3: p<0.001, Group 2–3: p=0.804). CONCLUSION: It was observed that some corneal aberration and corneal densitometry values were higher in patients with a chalazion compared with those of healthy individuals, and there was a decrease in corneal aberration and densitometry values after surgical excision.