Purpose: To evaluate differences in the subjective aniseikonia and stereoacuity in patients with axial anisometropia after full correction of the refractive error with spectacles, contact lenses, and refractive surgery.
Methods: A prospective study was performed in Cairo University Hospitals on 20 patients with axial anisometropia caused by unilateral myopia > 5 D with > 4 D inter-ocular difference in spherical equivalent who were suitable candidates for excimer laser ablation (LASIK) or implantable collamer lens implantation (ICL). All patients had measurement of best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), fusion, stereoacuity, and magnitude of aniseikonia with spectacles, contact lenses, and after surgery.
Results: The mean age at time of surgery was 25.7 ± 3.1 years. There were no statistically significant differences in the BCVA or stereoacuity with spectacles, contact lenses, or after refractive surgery. Microkonia < 5%) was perceived with spectacles in 8 patients (40%) and remained unchanged in 7 of these 8 patients with contact lenses. Following LASIK (n = 11), there was an induced macrokonia < 2% in 4 patients (36%), persistent microkonia of 3% in 1 patient (9%), and no change in image size in 6 (55%) patients. Following ICL implantation (n = 9), there was a perceived macrokonia of 2% in 4 patients (44%), disappearance of microkonia in 1 patient (11%) and no change in 4 patients (44%).
Conclusions: Differences in BCVA, stereoacuity, and aniseikonia after correction of anisometropia by glasses, contact lens and surgery are both clinically and statistically insignificant. Retinal or neural adaptation might have a role in correction for differences in image size.
Keywords: Aniseikonia; Anisometropia; Contact lenses; ICL, phakic intraocular lenses; LASIK; Spectacles.
© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V.