An analysis of the accuracy of predicted corneal acuity in the Holladay diagnostic summary program.

PURPOSE: To determine the accuracy of the predicted corneal acuity (PCA) as determined by the Holladay diagnostic summary corneal topography program, if the cornea is the limiting factor in vision and the posterior segment is normal.

METHODS

We compared the PCA with the best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) in 10 normal eyes and 10 eyes with corneal abnormalities, including prior penetrating keratoplasty, corneal scarring, and keratoconus.

RESULTS

The PCA was consistent with the BCVA in all 10 of the normal eyes. The PCA was less consistent with the BCVA in all eyes with corneal abnormalities. The PCA was least accurate in patients with high amounts of irregular astigmatism and/or low corneal uniformity indices.

CONCLUSIONS

The PCA appears to be most useful in predicting the BCVA in patients with normal corneas but is less effective in predicting the BCVA in patients with corneal abnormalities.