Corneal Wedge Resection for High Astigmatism Following Penetrating Keratoplasty

Fourteen corneal wedge resections performed between April 1980 and January 1986 at the Wills Eye Hospital were retrospectively reviewed. Mean pre-operative refractive (subjective) astigmatism was 8.13 diopters (D), with a range of 3.75 to 15.0 D. Following wedge resection, the mean residual astigmatism was 3.04 D, with a range of 0 to 5.0 D. Although the mean keratometric astigmatism measurements were generally similar to the astigmatism measured during refraction, there was little correlation between them on a case-by-case basis. Corneal wedge resection appears to remain an effective and moderately predictable technique for managing high astigmatism following penetrating keratoplasty.