Retinal straylight before and after penetrating keratoplasty in an eye with a post-herpetic corneal scar

Abstract

Purpose: In vivo study of retinal straylight in a patient before and after penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) Methods: Retinal straylight was measured in a 65-year-old man suffering from a post-herpetic corneal scar, both before and after PKP using the compensation comparison method (C-Quant straylight meter, Oculus GmbH, Germany) Results: Retinal straylight values before surgery were high compared to those obtained for age-matched normals in previous studies, due to light scattering induced by the corneal scar. Mean and standard deviation straylight values before and 9 months after PKP were log(s)=1.71 ±0.09 and 1.05 ±0.08, respectively. Decrease in retinal straylight could be explained by an improved corneal transparency, resulting in a significant improvement in visual acuity. Conclusions: Retinal straylight measurement provides objective and clinically valuable information about forward light scattering as the cause of visual disability. Improvement of the visual function after surgery is underestimated by visual acuity measures.