Time For A Smile: How Iris Color And Surgeon Dexterity Impact Klex Surgical Time
Published 2025 - 43rd Congress of the ESCRS
Reference: PO1038 | Type: Poster | DOI: 10.82333/c28q-t358
Authors: Paul Emesz* 1 , Lukas Feldhaus 1 , Stefan Kassumeh 1 , Martin Dirisamer 1 , Siegfried Priglinger 1 , Nikolaus Luft 1
1Augenklinik,LMU München,Munich,Germany
Purpose
This study aims to evaluate the surgical time for KLEx (Keratorefractive Lenticule Extraction) in patients with light and dark iris color.
Setting
A retrospective analysis was conducted on 670 eyes of 335 patients undergoing KLEx. The mean age of patients was 32.2 ± 7.2 years, with a female-to-male ratio of 172:163.
Methods
Preoperative parameters including manifest refraction spherical equivalent (MRSE), refractive cylinder and corrected distance visual acuity (BCDVA) were measured. Iris color was categorized as light (n=202) or dark (n=133). Surgical time was determined from video recordings and defined as the time between opening of the KLEx incision and extraction of the lenticule. Statistical analysis was performed using the Meyestro tool. Paired- and unpaired-samples t-tests were employed to compare surgical time between right and left eyes and between light and dark iris colors, respectively.
Results
Eyes with light irises had significantly shorter surgery times than those with dark irises (75 ± 22 seconds vs. 90 ± 31 seconds, p<0.0001). No significant differences were found between eyes with light and dark irides in terms of postoperative MRSE, refractive cylinder, UDVA, or BCDVA (p>0.05 for all). The surgical time was also significantly shorter in right eyes compared to left eyes (74 ± 25 seconds vs. 89 ± 27 seconds, p<0.0001). When analyzing laterality and iris color together, the surgery time for right eyes with light irises was 68 ± 19 seconds, while for left eyes with dark irises, it was 97 ± 31 seconds (p<0.0001).
Conclusions
Lenticule extraction in KLEx surgery took significantly less time in patients with light irises and in right eyes compared to those with dark irises and left eyes. These findings suggest that patients’ iris color and surgeons’ dexterity may influence the ease of lenticule extraction to a comparable extent. Further research is warranted to investigate the relationship between iris color and the quality of corneal femtosecond-laser cuts.