Astigmatism induced by oblique clear corneal incision: right vs. left eyes

BACKGROUND: To compare the induced astigmatism after phacoemulsification in the right vs. the left eye. METHODS: An oblique clear corneal incision was made in a superotemporal location in the right (n = 344) and a superonasal location in the left (n = 292) eye. Retrospectively, patient characteristics, pre- and postoperative visual acuity, and induced astigmatism values were compared. Statistical analysis was performed with the Student t , chi2, and Mann-Whitney U tests. RESULTS: The proportion of against-the-rule astigmatism and surgically induced astigmatism values were significantly larger in the left-eye group (p < 0.001). INTERPRETATION: Surgically induced astigmatism occurred to a greater extent in the left eyes compared with the right, possibly because of structural differences.