Radial keratotomy is a surgical procedure used to treat which condition?

Radial keratotomy is a surgical procedure used to treat which condition?

• A. Myopia
• B. Hyperopia
• C. Astigmatism
• D. Presbyopia

Answer: (A)

Radial keratotomy changes how the eye bends light by altering the cornea’s shape. The radial incisions flatten the central cornea, which lowers its refractive power. In myopia, light focuses in front of the retina, so flattening the cornea moves the focal point back onto the retina and improves distance vision. Hyperopia would require a steeper cornea, not flattening, so RK isn’t used for farsightedness. Presbyopia is about age-related loss of accommodation, and astigmatism is about irregular curvature; RK wasn’t primarily developed to correct astigmatism and has largely fallen out of use in favor of other procedures. Therefore, radial keratotomy is used to treat myopia.

Radial keratotomy changes how the eye bends light by altering the cornea’s shape. The radial incisions flatten the central cornea, which lowers its refractive power. In myopia, light focuses in front of the retina, so flattening the cornea moves the focal point back onto the retina and improves distance vision. Hyperopia would require a steeper cornea, not flattening, so RK isn’t used for farsightedness. Presbyopia is about age-related loss of accommodation, and astigmatism is about irregular curvature; RK wasn’t primarily developed to correct astigmatism and has largely fallen out of use in favor of other procedures. Therefore, radial keratotomy is used to treat myopia.