AIM: To investigate the effect of different preoperative corneal curvature on the size of optical deformation area after femtosecond laser small incision lens extraction(SMILE).

METHODS:A prospective study was conducted on 108 consecutive patients who underwent SMILE surgery in our hospital from February 2021 to January 2022. Considering the association between both eyes, only the left eye of each patient was studied. According to the average anterior corneal surface curvature in preoperative, the patients were divided into three groups: Km<42.0D group(n=30), Km>47.0D group(n=26)and conventional corneal curvature group(n=52)with 42.0D≤Km≤47.0D. All patients underwent standardized SMILE surgery, and the laser ablation diameter was 6.5mm. The diameters of optical deformation areas in the three groups were compared at 6mo after operation.

RESULTS:There was no significant difference in preoperative data among the three groups except for the mean curvature of the anterior corneal surface(all P>0.05), and there was no significant difference in uncorrected distance visual acuity(UDVA)and subjective refraction at 6mo after operation(all P>0.05). The diameters of the optical deformation zone in the Km<42.0D group, Km>47.0D group and the conventional corneal curvature group were 6.54±0.14, 6.32±0.13, 6.45±0.15mm respectively(F=19.238, P<0.05). The optical area diameter of the group with flat corneal curvature was larger than that of the group with conventional corneal curvature and the group with steeper corneal curvature(P<0.05). The diameter of optical zone in the conventional curvature group was larger than that in the Km>47.0D group(P<0.05).

CONCLUSION: When the preset laser cutting diameter is the same, the steeper the corneal curvature before operation, the smaller the diameter of the optical deformation area after operation.