Radial keratotomy in an elderly patient

A 74-year-old male complained of poor vision and diplopia as a result of cataract extraction and intraocular lens implantation. On refraction, we found -6.25 diopters (D) of myopia in his right eye. The patient, dissatisfied with wearing contact lenses and spectacles to correct vision, opted to have refractive corneal surgery. We performed a four-incision radial keratotomy with a 4 mm clear zone. This resulted in a 3.75 D (-2.5 D residual myopia) reduction in myopia at two months of follow-up. Our results indicate that radial keratotomy may be useful for correcting unacceptable myopia in older patients.