Top 5 pearls to consider when implanting advanced technology IOLs in patients with unusual circumstances.

The mainstay of treatment for those with hyperopic astigmatism who wish to bypass the need for glasses or contacts has traditionally been laser treatment. Both hyperopic laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) and photorefractive keratotomy (PRK) have been used to correct hyperopic astigmatism. Although LASIK can provide promising results for a portion of patients with hyperopic eyes, it becomes less effective when dealing with more exaggerated degrees of hyperopia. Refractive results are much more successful for low diopter (D) hyperopia, with a drop in efficacy starting at + 4.00 to + 5.00 D. Esquenazi and Mendoza reported that when LASIK is performed on eyes with >5.00 D of hyperopia, both the safety profile of the procedure and the refractive outcomes dramatically decline, coinciding with decreased corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA). Choi and Wilson echoed this notion, citing a 2-line drop in CDVA when LASIK was used to treat hyperopia of 5.00 to 8.75 D. This is in stark contrast to the results achieved by LASIK to improve myopia, where corrections are feasible for a far greater range of refractions. Part of the reason that hyperopia is less amenable to correction of higher diopter errors may owe to the fact that larger ablation zones are needed to achieve better refractive results. The optimal size of the ablation zone for hyperopic LASIK is >5.5 mm, and as such, more corneal alteration is required.