Healing of excimer laser ablated monkey corneas. An immunohistochemical evaluation

The healing response of the cornea following excimer laser anterior keratomileusis (a 4-mm-diameter ablation to a depth of 11, 23, or 46 microns) was analyzed immunohistochemically in adult rhesus monkeys. The ablated surface had reepithelialized and the synthesis of type VII collagen (a major component of anchoring fibrils) was evident by 7 days; the reestablishment of a nearly continuous anchoring fibril zone was evident after 12 weeks. Stromal fibroblasts, activated in response to wounding, expressed a fetal antigen for approximately 6 weeks. Although fibronectin and type VII collagen were present only transiently in the regenerating subepithelial stromal matrix in the subepithelial regions, some other alterations, including the presence of type III collagen, increased levels of keratan sulfates, and discontinuities in the anchoring fibril zone were evident even 18 months after wounding. The depths of the regenerated stroma, which were estimated from the depths of remnant staining for type VII collagen in the stromal matrix, generally, but not always, corresponded to the depths of the calculated ablation.

Laser welding of synthetic epikeratoplasty lenticules to the cornea

We used a milliwatt continuous wave CO2 laser mounted on an operating microscope to study the feasibility of welding synthetic collagen epikeratoplasty lenticules to the cornea. In vitro studies and experimentation in rabbits and monkeys showed no welding effects using direct laser radiation with powers ranging from 17 mW to 1 W. Only tissue shrinkage was observed. Experiments using various adjunctive solders produced a temporary welding effect using 30% bovine serum albumin welded with a power of 35-45 mW, 325 microns spot size, moving the beam 5 mm/sec. The lenticules remained in place until the 4th postoperative day when epithelium grew underneath the lenticule, dislodging it. Histopathologic examination demonstrated epithelial migration over the solder displacing the epikeratoplasty lenticule and anterior stromal denaturization and disruption.

Corneal wound healing in monkeys 18 months after excimer laser photorefractive keratectomy

Excimer laser keratomileusis (photorefractive keratectomy, direct corneal ablation) for myopic corrections of 2.00 diopters (n = 1), 4.00 D (n = 4), and 8.00 D (n = 3) was performed on eight corneas of four Rhesus monkeys. All animals were followed for 18 months. The ablations healed normally and no epithelial erosions occurred. Serial slit-lamp microscope examinations revealed that a variable amount of corneal haze developed in all animals; this haze progressively faded during the follow-up period. Histopathology revealed an epithelium of normal thickness, basement membrane abnormalities, increased number and activity of stromal keratocytes, and a variable amount of newly secreted extracellular matrix in the anterior stroma. These findings suggest that excimer laser keratomileusis induces a mild wound healing response in the anterior cornea which displays considerable individual variability and persists up to 18 months.

Recent developments in radial keratotomy

The Scientific Board of the California Medical Association presents the following inventory of items of progress in ophthalmology. Each item, in the judgment of a panel of knowledgeable physicians, has recently become reasonably firmly established, both as to scientific fact and important clinical significance. The items are presented in simple epitome and an authoritative reference, both to the item itself and to the subject as a whole, is generally given for those who may be unfamiliar with a particular item. The purpose is to assist busy practitioners, students, research workers, or scholars to stay abreast of these items of progress in ophthalmology that have recently achieved a substantial degree of authoritative acceptance, whether in their own field of special interest or another. The items of progress listed below were selected by the Advisory Panel to the Section on Ophthalmology of the California Medical Association, and the summaries were prepared under its direction.

Three year results of the Prospective Evaluation of Radial Keratotomy (PERK) study

The Prospective Evaluation of Radial Keratotomy (PERK) study is a nine-center clinical trial of a standardized technique of radial keratotomy in 435 patients who had simple myopia with a preoperative refractive error between -2.00 and -8.00 diopters (D). We report results for one eye of each patient. The surgical technique consisted of eight incisions using a diamond micrometer knife with the blade length determined by intraoperative ultrasonic pachymetry and the diameter of the central clear zone determined by the preoperative refractive error. At three years after surgery, 58% of eyes had refractive error within one diopter of emmetropia; 26% were undercorrected, and 16% were overcorrected by more than one diopter. Uncorrected visual acuity was 20/40 or better in 76% of eyes. The operation was more effective in eyes with a preoperative refractive error between -2.00 and -4.37 diopters. Between one and three years after surgery, the refractive error changed by 1.00 diopter or more in 12% of eyes, indicating a lack of stability in some eyes.

Classification of normal corneal topography based on computer-assisted videokeratography

We evaluated the topography of 399 normal corneas in 212 subjects with computer-assisted videokeratography. The mean subject age was 37 years (range, 8 to 79 years). Mean spherical equivalent refraction was -1.00 diopters (range, +5.50 to -8.37 diopters). A qualitative classification system for corneal topography was derived based on patterns seen on color-coded topographic maps. Corneas were classified into groups by three independent masked ophthalmologists based on this system. Patterns included round (22.6%), oval (20.8%), symmetric bow tie (17.5%), asymmetric bow tie (32.1%), and irregular (7.1%). All corneas were steeper centrally and flatter peripherally. There was a statistically significant difference among patterns for keratometric astigmatism, but not for spherical equivalent refraction, mean keratometric power, or age of subject. Classification of normal corneal topography is an important step in the process of characterizing the shape of normal and pathologic corneas.

Wound healing after excimer laser keratomileusis (photorefractive keratectomy) in monkeys

Laser myopic keratomileusis (photorefractive keratectomy) was performed on 29 rhesus monkey corneas with an argon fluoride (193-nm) excimer laser and a computer-controlled, moving slit delivery system. The 4-mm-diameter central ablation zone ranged in depth from 11 microns (-2 diopters effect) to 46 microns (-8 diopters effect). Corneas were studied for the 9 months postoperatively by clinical slit-lamp microscopy, and periodically with light and transmission electron microscopy. By 6 weeks, mild to moderate subepithelial haze was apparent in 93% of the corneas, with considerable variability in density. Progressive clearing occurred so that by 6 to 9 months 12 of 13 surviving corneas (92%) were either completely clear (4 corneas) or trace hazy (8 corneas). The epithelium was thickened at 21 days after ablation and returned to normal thickness by 3 months. At 3 weeks, subepithelial fibroblasts were three times the density of normal keratocytes and returned to nearly normal numbers by 9 months. We concluded that the anterior monkey cornea demonstrated a mild, typical wound healing response after excimer laser keratomileusis.

Simultaneous and sequential selective suture removal to reduce astigmatism after penetrating keratoplasty

We studied two separate groups of consecutive eyes with penetrating keratoplasty in avascular corneas in which we performed selective interrupted suture removal to decrease postoperative astigmatism, describing the time course of change in astigmatism. In the first group (29 eyes), multiple interrupted sutures were selectively removed at a single visit in an attempt to reduce the astigmatism to less than or equal to 3 diopters; the patients were followed for 30 months. In the second group (24 eyes), one interrupted suture was removed at each visit every 2 weeks until the astigmatism was less than or equal to 3 D; the patients were followed for 15 months. Surgical techniques were different in the two groups. Both techniques reduced postoperative astigmatism. Larger changes in astigmatism occurred between the first suture removal visit and the subsequent visit in the first group. At 1 year, the multiple-suture-removal-at-a-single-visit group averaged 3.1 D of astigmatism, with 50% of eyes less than or equal to 3 D, whereas the single-suture-removal-at-multiple-visits group had a mean astigmatism of 1.9 D with 88% of eyes less than or equal to 3 D. The two groups we studied were not directly comparable, because surgical techniques differed, because they were operated at different times, and because the cases were not randomized. Nevertheless, we think that selective suture removal to reduce astigmatism after penetrating keratoplasty is best done by removing only one (or sometimes two) sutures per examination.

Reproducibility of normal corneal power measurements with a keratometer, photokeratoscope, and video imaging system

To determine the reproducibility of currently available instruments for measuring corneal power, two investigators measured comparable locations on 18 normal human corneas using a keratometer (Bausch & Lomb, Rochester, NY), the Corneascope (Kera Corp, Santa Clara, Calif), and the Corneal Modeling System (Computed Anatomy Inc, New York, NY). (For the two keratoscopes, average powers around rings at comparable locations were used.) Comparisons made between instruments at the significance level of .05 indicated that the keratometer was more reproducible than the Corneal Modeling System and the Corneascope, and the Corneal Modeling System was more reproducible than the Corneascope. Of the 31 rings projected on the surface of each cornea by the Corneal Modeling System, rings 2 through 13 were read reasonably reproducibly in that 76% of the measurements on these rings differed by no more than 0.5 diopter. The Corneal Modeling System (software version 1.16) is 83% as reproducible as a keratometer reading at approximately the edge of the 3-mm central zone on normal human corneas and provides information about corneal topography in a more reproducible and visually useful manner than the other two instruments.

Combining refractive error and uncorrected visual acuity to assess the effectiveness of refractive corneal surgery

Residual refractive error and uncorrected visual acuity are two frequently measures used to assess the effectiveness of refractive corneal surgery. Nordan and colleagues have suggested a Visual Function Index which combines these two measures in one quantitative measure. This article presents a Visual Function Score for radial keratotomy which includes a set of qualitative categories (excellent, good, fair, poor) and specifies the clinical values for refractive error and visual acuity in each category. There was substantial agreement among ophthalmologists who reviewed the category definitions, and we think that the Visual Function Score improves our ability to objectively assess surgical outcome. Application of the score to the Prospective Evaluation of Radial Keratotomy (PERK) Study data yielded closer agreement with refractive error results than with visual acuity values. The Visual Function Score lowered the classification of eyes that were hyperopic but had sufficient accommodation to overcome so that a high visual acuity result could be achieved. The inclusion of astigmatism values would be an important next step in the development of composite measures for the assessment of refractive surgery. In the future, a multifactorial index or score may be used to estimate the outcome of reported surgical procedures.

Results of the Prospective Evaluation of Radial Keratotomy (PERK) Study 4 years after surgery for myopia. Perk Study Group

The Prospective Evaluation of Radial Keratotomy Study is a nine-center clinical trial of a surgical technique to reduce simple myopia by making incisions in the cornea. There were 435 patients (one eye per patient is reported) enrolled in the study with a 91% follow-up rate at 4 years after surgery. After surgery, uncorrected visual acuity was 20/40 or better in 76% of eyes. Fifty-five percent of the eyes had a refractive error within +/- 1.00 diopter; 28% were undercorrected, and 17% were overcorrected by more than 1.00 D. The width of the prediction 90% interval for the refractive change was 4.42 D, indicating a lack of predictability. The refractive error was not stable in some eyes; between 6 months and 4 years after surgery, 23% of eyes had a continued effect of the surgery of more than 1.00 D. For 323 patients with both eyes operated on, 64% stated they wore no optical correction. There were few serious complications. Eleven eyes (3%) lost two or three lines of best corrected visual acuity. Two eyes developed delayed bacterial keratitis without significant loss in best corrected visual acuity.

Lipid deposits posterior to impermeable intracorneal lenses in rhesus monkeys: clinical, histochemical, and ultrastructural studies

Synthetic materials are being evaluated for their potential long-term use in corneal refractive surgery. Clinical and histopathologic studies were performed with polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and polysulfone intracorneal lenses in rhesus monkey eyes that were followed for up to 3 years. The 5 mm diameter lenses were placed in the deep posterior corneal stroma of four eyes. Fine, polychromatic crystalline deposits formed a layer posterior to the implants. Enucleated eyes had the corneas either frozen for histochemistry or fixed for electron microscopy. Special stains included oil red 0 and filipin on fresh frozen tissue. The cornea, with a PMMA intracorneal lens showed myriad crystalline aggregates in the deep corneal stroma behind the implant. These crystalline deposits stained positively with oil red 0 and with filipin indicating the presence of neutral fat as well as unesterified cholesterol. The polysulfone implant showed no evidence of crystalline deposits histologically but was surrounded by homogeneous aggregates that could represent nonspecific reaction to the lens material or protein deposits. Electron microscopy of all four corneas revealed dissolved lipid aggregates and laminated electron dense material that were most abundant posterior to the implant where the keratocytes appeared disintegrated. The PMMA lens appeared to induce lipid keratopathy.

Inadequacy of a polyester (Mersilene) suture for the reduction of astigmatism after penetrating keratoplasty

Through two prospective studies, we evaluated the use of polyester (Mersilene) sutures in penetrating keratoplasty. Study 1 was a randomized comparison of combined running and interrupted Mersilene and nylon sutures (n = 45). Study 2 was a case series of single running Mersilene with postoperative adjustment of suture tension to manage astigmatism (n = 23). Study 1 demonstrated that Mersilene interrupted sutures were 5.5 times more likely to have handling-related complications compared to nylon (P = 0.01); in addition, they were 3 times as likely to have tissue-related complications as nylon interrupted sutures (P = 0.16). Study 2 demonstrated a complication rate of 69% when Mersilene was used as a single adjustable running suture. At 6 months postoperatively, the median refractive astigmatism for the adjustable cases was 3.37 D (mean, 4.03 +/- 2.37 D). Eyes in Study 2 with significant suture-related complications were 2.85 times more likely to have greater than 4 D of refractive astigmatism than were eyes without suture-related complications. We concluded that Mersilene is an undesirable suture for use in penetrating keratoplasty.

Keratography as a guide to selective suture removal for the reduction of astigmatism after penetrating keratoplasty

After penetrating keratoplasty in 52 eyes, keratography refraction and keratometry were used to select appropriate interrupted sutures for removal in order to reduce astigmatism. All eyes had one continuous and either 12 or 16 interrupted nylon sutures. The keratographs were examined retrospectively and separated into six groups on the basis of similar mire patterns. The removal of single sutures associated with three of these patterns reduced astigmatism by the following average amounts: symmetrical oval pattern, 0.44 diopters (D); D-shaped oval pattern, 2.07 D; and focal indentation pattern, 6.60 D. The other three patterns--mildly disrupted mires, incomplete mires, and uninterpretable mires--did not allow quantification of results. Examples of these keratographic patterns are presented and recommendations are made for their use in the management of astigmatism following penetrating keratoplasty.

The Hanna suction punch block and trephine system for penetrating keratoplasty

We describe a new system for corneal trephination. The system for cutting donor buttons consists of a concave Teflon well in which the donor corneoscleral shell is secured by gentle suction. A cylindrical guide ensures that the disposable razor blade trephine is centered and is perpendicular during punching from the endothelium. The suction mechanical trephine used for the host has the following features: (1) a gun-sight alignment system for reliable centering, (2) a 360 degrees limbal suction ring that secures the trephine to the eye and ensures perpendicularity of the cut, (3) support surfaces on either side of the disposable razor blade that support the cornea during cutting to create near-vertical uniform wound margins, (4) rotation of the trephine with a manually operated gear system for smooth cutting, and (5) a calibration device that governs the extension of the blade and also allows cutting without descent of the blade.

Complications of radial and transverse keratotomy

Radial keratotomy for myopia and transverse keratotomy for astigmatism are the most commonly performed refractive surgical procedures. A decade of experience with modern techniques has produced considerable literature on the complications of keratotomy. Vision-threatening complications (bacterial keratitis, traumatic rupture of the globe through weakened keratotomy scars, endophthalmitis, cataract formation from surgical trauma to the lens) are quite rare, occurring in less than 1% of eyes in published series. The most common side effects affect most patients in the first few months after surgery: pain for 24 to 48 hours, transient glare and light sensitivity, and fluctuating visual acuity. The most common persistent complications are overcorrection and undercorrection. Persistent irregular astigmatism occurs in almost all cases in the region of the incision scars, but it is rarely severe enough to reduce spectacle acuity. Most individuals have mild glare, but this is rarely disabling. Diurnal variation of refraction in visual acuity occurs commonly, but the magnitude of the fluctuation is seldom enough to require multiple pairs of spectacles. Longterm refractive stability occurs in approximately half of eyes by six months, but approximately one in four eyes will experience continued change over six months to four years. Complications, such as scarring from intersecting keratotomy incisions, irregular astigmatism resulting from multiple reoperations, and overcorrections with the attendant early onset of symptomatic presbyopia are becoming much less frequent.

Accuracy and precision of keratometry, photokeratoscopy, and corneal modeling on calibrated steel balls

Surgical manipulation of corneal shape requires an accurate and precise method of measuring anterior corneal curvature from apex to limbus. We evaluated the accuracy and precision of the Bausch & Lomb Keratometer, Kera Corneascope, and Computed Anatomy Corneal Modeling System by measuring comparable locations on four calibrated steel test balls. The Keratometer and Corneal Modeling System were more accurate and precise than the Corneascope. No statistically significant difference was found between the Keratometer and Corneal Modeling System with respect to accuracy or precision. In addition, the accuracy and precision of all 31 rings of the Corneal Modeling System were studied. Rings 2 through 26 were read accurately and precisely within +/- 0.25 diopter on three of the four balls. Values on the steepest ball were within +/- 0.37 diopter.