Transepithelial or intrastromal femtosecond laser arcuate keratotomy to manage corneal astigmatism at the time of cataract surgery

The aim of this study was to compare the results of intrastromal arcuate incisions (AIs) and transepithelial AIs to treat corneal astigmatism during femtosecond laser-assisted cataract surgery (FLACS). This retrospective study included 20 patients with corneal astigmatism between 0.70 and 2.00 diopters (D) who underwent FLACS with concurrent intrastromal AIs in one eye and transepithelial AIs in the fellow eye. The main outcomes measures at 2–3 months of follow-up were the difference between pre-operative and postoperative keratometric corneal cylinder (Kcyl), the correction index (CI) and the percentage of overcorrection. The mean difference between preoperative and postoperative Kcyl revealed a mean value of 0.36 ± 0.37 D in the transepithelial group and 0.53 ± 0.42 D in the intrastromal group (p