Refractive changes of congenital entropion and epiblepharon on surgical correction.

In order to investigate the refractive error, amblyopic frequency, and refractive change, if any, following recovery of cornea injury through surgery of epiblepharon and congenital entropion patients, we retrospectively reviewed the sex distribution, age at operation, chief complaints, preoperative and postoperative refractive errors, and best corrected visual acuity in 160 previously operated patients. The average age at operation was 7.9 years. The preoperative best corrected visual acuity of 133 eyes (41.6%) was below 5/9. Ninety-five eyes (29.7%) were preoperative myopes above -1.0D; 77 eyes (24%) were hyperopes above +1.0D; and 163 eyes were astigmatic above -1.0D. Of 228 eyes that were followed up for more than one year, 66 eyes demonstrated a best corrected visual acuity of below 5/9. There was no significant difference in the change in corneal astigmatism following surgery between the group under the age of 7 and the group over the age of 7. However, the mean best corrected visual acuity at postoperative one year was 6/9, which was significantly different from the preoperative value (P=0.006). Concurrent postoperative glasses correction and amblyopic therapy is indicated because the incidence of refractive errors and amblyopia is higher in epiblepharon and congenital entropion.