Maintaining Nearly Physiologic Intraocular Pressure Levels Prior to Tying the Sutures During Cataract Surgery Reduces Surgically-Induced Astigmatism

We sought to determine whether maintaining nearly physiologic levels of intraocular pressure (IOP) before the final tying of sutures in cataract surgery can help minimize postoperative-induced astigmatism. We compared the postoperative astigmatic decay curves of two similar groups of 18 patients who had undergone cataract surgery, in one of which IOP had been maintained at 17 mm Hg prior to the final tying of sutures, and in the other of which the eyes were hypotonus (3 mm Hg) at this point. Initial with-the-rule cylinder change was significantly less and astigmatic decay occurred earlier in the former group.