Effect of iris restoration on postoperative visual acuity in ocular trauma

Objective To discuss the surgical skills for iris repair and to observe the effect of coreoplasty on postoperative visual acuity.Methods It was a prospective self-controlled study.From May 2009 to July 2010, 15 eyes of 15 patients with ocular trauma were studied and treated with coreoplasty,including 3 with purse string suture through the cornea,8 with iris laceration repair and 4 with iridodialysis repair.Purse string suture to treat traumatic mydriasis through the cornea is a novel approach.Uncorrected and best corrected visual acuity were examined in all patients preoperatively and postoperatively.Images of the pupils were taken and the diameters of the pupils were calculated.Data were analyzed using paired samples t test.Results The diameters of the pupils were 5.33±1.93 mm before surgery, and reconstructed to 3.15±0.54 mm after surgery, which represents a significant difference due to the surgery (t-4.31,P＜0.01).Postoperative acuities were 4.82±0.21,which differed from preoperative vision of 4.70±0.23 (t=4.38, P＜0.01).Furthermore, photophobia decreased after surgery (t=3.90,P＜0.05).Conclusion Iris coreoplasty can reduce photophobia and improve visual acuity for iris trauma patients.Purse string suture is a feasible and efficacious technique for treating traumatic mydriasis. Key words: Ocular contusion; Iris injury; Visual acuity; Coreoplasty; Iris repair