Treatment of astigmatism during phacoemulsification Tratamento do astigmatismo durante a facoemulsificação

INTRODUCTION Astigmatism is a visually disabling refractive error, and at least 15%-20% cataract patients have corneal astigmatism of ≥1.50 diopters (D). One way to correct astigmatism simultaneously during cataract surgery is to place limbal relaxing incisions (LRIs). It is possible, however, that late corneal biomechanics may play an unfavorable role in refractive outcomes over time. Toric intraocular lens (IOL) implantation is another valuable option for astigmatism correction in cataract patients. Undesired rotation of the toric IOL is the main problem associated with this method. Approximately 1 degree of off-axis rotation results in a loss of up to 3.3% in expected cylinder correction.