C Limbal relaxing incisions (LRI) are a modification in the shape of your cornea used to treat astigmatism. Astigmatism is present when the cornea is not perfectly round; resulting in one portion of your eye does not see the same as the other portions. A cornea with astigmatism is shaped more like a football rather than a basketball. LRI’s are incisions that are placed on the far outer edge of the cornea (the limbus) resulting in a cornea that is more round resulting in your uncorrected vision being improved.
There is usually little or no, post-operative discomfort. The procedure is very safe and is not associated with glare or starburst. The cornea is usually stable within a week, which means your vision should be stable.
LRI procedures have gained widespread acceptance among cataract surgeons in recent years. The benefits of LRI procedures include almost immediate recovery of vision and excellent quality of vision after LRI. LRIs are often combined with a cataract operation to reduce preexisting astigmatism and thus, resulting in better postoperative uncorrected vision. When using the Premium IOL implants in patients with over one diaptor of astigmatism, LRI might be required to reduce the pre-op astigmatism, thereby increasing the patient’s overall satisfaction.
