[Correction of high astigmatism and astigmatic anisometropia by intrastromal photokerato-ablation in children and adolescents].

: A total of 151 photorefraction operations for correction of medium and high astigmatism in 38 children (9-15 years) and 47 adolescents (16-17 years) carried out by LASIK method are analyzed. The operations were performed under local anesthesia with EC-5000 eximer laser (Nidek) and Hansatome microkeratome (B & L). Complicated and common myopic astigmatism (2.07 +/- 0.89 to 2.91 +/- 0.63 diopters) was decreased by 61.2% in children and by 62.2% in adolescents. Visual acuity without correction increased by 0.58 +/- 01.2. Correction of astigmatic anisometropia resulted in its decrease to 0.75-1.5 diopters in 77.9% children and 62.8% adolescents. Hypermetropic astigmatism decreased by 64.9% of its initial value in children and by 56.9% in adolescents. Mixed astigmatism decreased by 62.7% of its initial value. The resultant visual acuity without correction was 0.39 +/- 0.13 in children and 0.47 +/- 0.17 in adolescents. According to questionnaires distributed among parents, 13.5% patients studied better at school after the operation and 19.2% went in for sports in athletic sections. The main causes for the intervention were limitations in choice of profession (for 49.6%) and desire to practice modern athletics (in 13.8%). Photorefraction correction of astigmatism in children and adolescents brings about an effective stable result decreasing refraction amblyopia and improving the quality of life.