Early Changes in Astigmatism after Correction of Senile Upper Eyelid Skin Laxity

Objective: To investigate the early changes in ocular refraction after correction of upper eyelid skin laxity. Methods: This was a prospective case-control study. Patients with senile upper eyelid skin laxity were recruited from the Eye Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University at Hangzhou from July 2016 to December 2017. Sixty-two patients were divided into two groups: 40 patients (80 eyes) who underwent surgery were included in the treatment group, 22 patients (44 eyes) who declined surgery were included in the control group. The treatment group was examined preoperatively and 3 months postoperatively. The control group was initially examined and then re-examined 3 months later. The best corrected visual acuity, refractive errors, corneal curvature and central corneal thickness were analyzed. Paired t tests or rank sum tests were used to compare the differences within a groups, covariance analysis was used to compare the differences between the groups. Results: In the treatment group, astigmatism decreased after surgery; the mean change was 0.17 D (t=-3.31, P<0.001). There were no significant differences in corrected visual acuity, spherical equivalent diopter, corneal curvature or corneal thickness before and after surgery. There were no statistical differences in the control group when testing results were compared. There was a significant difference in astigmatism between the two groups (F=13.672, P<0.001), but no statistical differences in corrected visual acuity, spherical equivalent diopter, corneal curvature or corneal thickness. Conclusions: Astigmatism decreased early after surgical correction, but the astigmatic axis had no significant change. Key words: upper eyelid skin laxity; refraction; surgery