Radial keratotomy (RK) is a corneal refractive surgery that was popular decades ago where the surgeon used a blade to make radial incisions in the cornea to flatten it for the treatment of myopia. It worked and the patients had pretty good results which often lasted for years, however it sometimes lead to long term corneal instability which results in a hyperopic shift later in life. All people who live long enough (whether or not they have had RK) will develop cataracts and need cataract surgery. I have a very extensive experience performing cataract surgery on these RK radial keratotomy patients, often doing multiple in a single surgery day. One of the best pearls that I can give you is: never intersect the prior radial keratotomy incisions. This is because they are 90% depth (or more) and they can easily rip open and leak, requiring suturing. This video demonstrates that and I explain my preferred technique even for those eyes with 20 or more RK cuts. These are great pearls to learn prior to you finding yourself in the operating room with an RK patient having cataract surgery. What are your best pearls for RK patients? Please comment below.
