The Effect of Surgical Correction of Epiblepharon on Astigmatism in Children

Abstract

PURPOSE: To evaluate the characteristics of astigmatism in epiblepharon and postoperative astigmatic changes in children. METHODS: The authors undertook a retrospective chart review of 56 patients who underwent an epiblepharon operation. Preoperative astigmatism was compared with postoperative astigmatism according to age at surgery, the presence of amblyopia, and unilateral epiblepharon. RESULTS: Astigmatism decreased from a preoperative mean of 1.34 +/- 1.25 D with-the-rule astigmatism to a postoperative mean of 1.10 +/- 1.14 D with-the-rule astigmatism in all patients (P = .055), and this reduction was statistically significant in the 5- to 7-year age group (P = .038), amblyopic eyes (P = .021), and affected eyes in cases of unilateral epiblepharon (P = .004). CONCLUSIONS: Epiblepharon operations were found to change astigmatism. The results obtained suggest that an epiblepharon operation should be considered in patients with amblyopia and epiblepharon prior to the general treatment of amblyopia.