Accurate corneal marking before surgery leads to a reduction in astigmatism.

The randomized, examiner-masked clinical trial, led by Dr N. Popp, Vienna Institute for Research in Ocular Surgery, Vienna, Austria, enrolled 60 patients with astigmatism. Four corneal astigmatic marking methods were tested: marking at the slitlamp with an insulin needle, a pendular marker, a bubble marker and a tonometer marker. A standardized photographic technique was used to document the corneal marks and the rotational deviation and vertical misalignment were assessed.

The pendular-marking device demonstrated the least rotational deviation to the reference medium and there was no statistically significant difference between slitlamp marking and pendular marking.

However, there was a significant difference between the pendular marker and the tonometer marker. The slitlamp-marking device presented with the least vertical misalignment, but there was no statistically significant difference in vertical misalignment between the four corneal markers.

Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery