Objective: To determine an adequate compensation to achieve a refractive state of clinical emmetropia for hyperopic patients older than 45 years of age.
Methods: A Proportional analysis was performed by comparing samples of cases that successfully achieved clinical emmetropia intervened with and without a compensation of +0.50 or +0.75 Dpts. for hyperopic patients older than 45 years of age at OPTILASER, Refractive Surgery Center in Bogotá, Colombia.
Results: The result of the analysis with a Confidence Level of 95% is: Z Value = 4.35, Cumulative Probability = 0.9998 and p-Value = 0.0002, therefore, the Null Hypothesis Ho is rejected in favor of Ha which states that “hyperopic patients of 45 years of age and older, operated with compensation +0.50 or +0.75 Dpts., show a proportion of successes of clinical emmetropia significantly greater than those operated without any compensation.”
Conclusions: For hyperopic patients of 45 years of age and older, it is recommended to introduce a compensation of +0.50 or +0.75 Dpts. over the patient's degree of hyperopia, into the LASIK prior to surgery, to significantly increase the probabilities of achieving a refractive state of clinical emmetropia.
Clinical Importance: The compensation proposed in this investigation achieves in a large proportion of hyperopes a satisfactory state of clinical emmetropia in far vision, avoiding accommodative efforts in patients over 45 years of age with a low amplitude of accommodation.