Five-year results of refractive lenticule extraction

10-Year Results of FLEx Refractive Surgery

PURPOSE

To evaluate the 10-year results of femtosecond lenticule extraction (FLEx) for treatment of myopia and myopic astigmatism.

METHODS

This long-term follow-up of a prospective clinical trial was conducted at HELIOS Klinikum Erfurt and Phillips University of Marburg, Germany. In 2006, 108 eyes underwent the FLEx procedure. All patients were invited for reexamination 10 years after FLEx treatment for myopia and astigmatism. Visual acuity, objective and manifest refraction, intraocular pressure, and slit-lamp examination and side effects were documented. Main outcome measures were uncorrected (UDVA) and corrected (CDVA) distance visual acuity, objective and manifest refraction, and slit-lamp examination and side effects.

RESULTS

A total of 77 eyes of 40 patients of the original treatment group volunteered for a reexamination 10 years after surgery. The mean age of the patients was 45.9 years; 26 were women and 14 were men. UDVA was 0.09 ± 0.19 logMAR and CDVA was stable at -0.1 ± 0.09 logMAR. More than half of the eyes gained one or two Snellen lines, and none of the eyes lost two or more lines. Over the 10-year period, regression was 0.18 D.

CONCLUSIONS

FLEx has stable results 10 years after treatment for myopia and astigmatism. [J Refract Surg. 2019;35(11):707-711.].

Quality of life after refractive surgery: ReLEx SMILE vs Femto-LASIK

Purpose

The safety and effectiveness of complex myopic astigmatism correction using ReLEx SMILE or Femto-LASIK techniques have been well established. The purpose of the current study is to compare quality of life (QoL) outcomes following ReLEx SMILE or Femto-LASIK procedures in parallel with functional vision and anatomic outcomes of treated eyes.

Patients and methods

This prospective, consecutive series included 118 patients, 18–43 years of age, out of which 56 underwent ReLEx SMILE and 62 underwent Femto-LASIK surgery for correction of myopic astigmatism. All patients underwent standard comprehensive ophthalmic examinations, and additionally, completed The Quality of Life Impact of Refractive Correction Questionnaire to determine the impact the vision-correction treatment had on their QoL.

Results

In both treatment groups, the postoperative refractive outcomes were comparable, with visual acuity improvements for both groups noted the day following surgery. After laser correction of complex myopic astigmatism using Femto-LASIK and ReLEx SMILE methods, the overall QoL indicators are statistically significant (P<0.01) exceeding preoperative values 1 month after the operation and reaching the maximum values by the end of the observation period (P<0.0001).

Conclusion

The results of the study suggest that patients require some time to adapt to their new visual function and its impact on their daily living, delaying detectable improvements in QoL. Moreover, these results may suggest a higher satisfaction trend and long-term QoL in patients undergoing ReLEx SMILE in comparison to Femto-LASIK. Long-term results from the study demonstrated high patient satisfaction with both methods.

Influence of the flap on outcomes in corneal refractive surgery with femtosecond laser: SMILE vs. FLEx

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the influence of creating a flap on the postoperative optical quality of the cornea in terms of predicted corneal curvature and Seidel aberrations after 2 modalities of femtosecond assisted corneal lenticule extraction laser for the correction of myopia and myopic astigmatism: The flapless procedure small incision lenticular extraction (SMILE) and the flap-based femtosecond lenticular extraction (FLEx).

METHODS

The study is a prospective consecutive non-randomised comparative interventional case series including 64 eyes with myopic or myopic astigmatism refractive errors. Patients were divided into 2 groups matched for age, sex and myopia. One group underwent SMILE treatment and the other underwent FLEx treatment. Seidel aberrations root-mean-square values were obtained with a 10mm aperture using the ATLAS 9000 topographer before surgery and 3 months after surgery. The relationship between the post-surgical corneal radius and the predicted sculpted radius were analysed in each group.

RESULTS

The mean percentage change in the curvature radius was -2.03% in the FLEx group and -1.77% in the SMILE group (P=.655). The higher correlation for the SMILE group demonstrates a better predictability after the surgery. As regards corneal aberrations, the FLEx treatment showed a greater increase of higher order aberrations than SMILE treatment (P=.04).

CONCLUSION

The mean refractive change in corneal curvature, which is indirectly related to the biomechanical response of the corneal surface after the lenticule cut and extraction, was similar after both treatments. However, the flap based FLEx procedure showed a greater degradation of the corneal optical quality in terms of induction of higher order aberrations.

Four-year observation of predictability and stability of small incision lenticule extraction

BACKGROUND

To investigate long-term refractive outcomes, wavefront aberrations and quality of life after small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) for moderate to high myopia.

METHODS

A total of 26 patients (47 eyes) with preoperative mean spherical equivalent (SE) of -6.30 ± 1.47 diopters (D) who underwent SMILE were recruited. The measurements included uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA), corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), manifest refraction, wavefront aberrations, and quality of life.

RESULTS

At 4 years postoperatively, UDVA was better than or equal to 20/20 in 92 % of eyes. The efficacy index was 1.07 ± 0.16. 89 % of eyes were within ± 0.5 D of the intended refractive target. No eye lost any Snellen lines. The safety index was 1.16 ± 0.14. No significant changes of SE occurred among postoperative follow-ups at months 1, 3, 6 and years 1, 2, 4 (P > 0.05, Scheffe test). Higher-order aberrations, coma, spherical aberration and higher-order astigmatism increased postoperatively, and no significant changes of aberrations were detected among the 1-month, 6-month or 4-year follow-ups postoperatively (37 eyes). Compared to the spectacles group, the surgery group showed a significantly higher total score on quality of life (45.71 ± 2.61 vs 39.96 ± 3.56, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

SMILE provides a predictable and stable correction of moderate to high myopia as documented by long-term follow-up.

Vision-related quality of life and visual outcomes after small-incision lenticule extraction and laser in situ keratomileusis

PURPOSE

To compare vision-related quality of life (VRQoL) scores and clinical outcomes between small-incision lenticule extraction and laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK).

SETTING

Singapore National Eye Centre, Singapore.

DESIGN

Prospective study.

METHODS

Patients had small-incision lenticule extraction using the Visumax 500 kHz femtosecond laser; or LASIK excimer ablation with the Wavelight Allegretto 400 Hz laser. Primary outcomes were 3-month predictability, efficacy, and safety. Secondary outcomes were intraoperative experience, visual symptoms, and VRQoL (validated Quality of Life Impact of Refractive Correction [QIRC] questionnaire) in 25 a subgroup of patients in each group. Following Rasch analysis, "Functional" and "Emotional," QIRC dimensions were analysed separately.

RESULTS

At 3 months, predictability (82.5% versus 85.3%, ±0.5 diopters attempted correction, P =.453), safety index (1.13 ± 0.19 [SD] versus 1.07 ± 0.16, P = .158), and efficacy index (0.91 ± 0.21 versus 0.97 ± 0.19; P = .002) were found when comparing small-incision lenticule extraction (172 eyes) and LASIK (matched 688 eyes). Intraoperative experience between groups was not statistically different; visual fluctuations (P = .020) and episodes of visual blurring (P = .008) were greater after small-incision lenticule extraction than after LASIK at 1 month but not at 3 months. There was no difference in "functional" (66.7 ± 15.7 versus 55.3 ± 22.2, P = .064) and "emotional" (42.7 ± 23.2 versus 37.9 ± 23.8, P = .394) QIRC dimensions between the 2 groups (25 patients in each group) at 3 months.

CONCLUSION

The study, 3-month predictability, safety, and VRQL scores were not statistically different between small-incision lenticule extraction and LASIK.

FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE

No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.

Efficacy, safety, predictability, aberrations and corneal biomechnical parameters after SMILE and FLEx: Meta-analysis

AIM

To identify possible differences of efficacy, safety, predictability, higher-order aberrations and corneal biomechnical parameters after small-incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) and femtosecond lenticule extraction (FLEx).

METHODS

A systematic literature retrieval was conducted in Medline, Embase and the Cochrane Library, up to October, 2015. The included studies were subject to a Meta-analysis. Comparison between SMILE and FLEx was measured as pooled odds ratio (OR) or weighted mean differences (WMD). Of 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used to analyze data.

RESULTS

A total of seven studies were included. Firstly, there were no differences in uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA) 20/20 or better (OR, 1.37; 95% CI, 0.69 to 2.69; P=0.37) and logMAR UDVA (WMD, -0.02; 95% CI, -0.05 to 0.01; P=0.17) after SMILE versus FLEx. We found no differences in corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) unchanged (OR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.46 to 2.11; P=0.97) and logMAR CDVA (WMD, -0.00; 95% CI, -0.01 to 0.01; P=0.90) either. Secondly, we found no differences in refraction within ±1.00 D (OR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.13 to 7.28; P=0.99) and ±0.50 D (OR, 1.62; 95% CI, 0.62 to 4.28; P=0.33) of target postoperatively. Thirdly, for higher-order aberrations, we found no differences in the total higher-order aberrations (WMD, -0.04; 95% CI, -0.09 to 0.01; P=0.14), coma (WMD, -0.04; 95% CI, -0.09 to 0.01; P=0.11), spherical (WMD, 0.01; 95% CI, -0.02 to 0.03; P=0.60) and trefoil (WMD, -0.00; 95% CI, -0.04 to 0.03; P=0.76). Furthermore, for corneal biomechanical parameters, we also found no differences (WMD, 0.08; 95% CI, -0.17 to 0.33; P=0.54) after SMILE versus FLEx.

CONCLUSION

There are no statistically differences in efficacy, safety, predictability, higher-order aberrations and corneal biomechnical parameters postoperative between SMILE and FLEx.