- thermokeratoplasty
- A procedure in which the application of heat shrinks the collagen of the corneal stroma and flattens the cornea in the area of heat application. This tends to make the eye less myopic. See refractive keratoplasty. [thermo- + G. keras, horn, + plasso, to form]
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n.the application of heat to the periphery of the cornea in order to shrink the cornea and hence change its refractive power. This refractive procedure is used to correct long-sightedness (hypermetropia) and presbyopia.* * *
ther·mo·ker·a·to·plasty (thur″mo-kerґə-to-plas″te) reshaping of the cornea by the application of heat, either by means of a heated probe or a laser, which shrinks the collagen of the corneal stroma, resulting in flattening of the cornea in the area of heating. thermokeratoplastic adj
Medical dictionary. 2011.