Comparison of high order aberration after conventional and customized ablation in myopic LASIK in different eyes of the same patient

Visual differences in topography-guided versus wavefront-optimized LASIK in the treatment of myopia: a Meta-analysis

AIM

To investigate the potential differences between topography-guided (TG) and wavefront-optimized (WFO) laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) for the treatment of myopia.

METHODS

A systematic literature search was performed to determine relevant trials comparing LASIK with TG and WFO from the time of library construction to August 2020, and The PubMed, Cochrane, Web of Science, EMBASE and Chinese databases (i.e. CNKI, CBM, WAN FANG and VIP) were accessed. The data on visual acuity, refractive status and wavefront aberration were retrieved and evaluated from three to six months after surgery. STATA (version 14.0) software was used for statistical analysis. A cumulative Meta-analysis was simultaneously performed.

RESULTS

Eleven studies with a total of 1425 eyes were incorporated. No statistically significant differences were evident between TG and WFO ablation in the proportion of eyes achieving an uncorrected distance visual acuity (UCVA) of 20/20 or better (P=0.377), gaining one line or more (P=0.05), postoperative cylinder (P=0.40), vertical coma (P=0.593) and horizontal coma (P=0.957). After TG ablation, the proportion of the patients' eyes of which postoperative refraction is within ±0.5 diopter of the target refraction was significantly higher than that undergoes WFO (P=0.003). As opposed to the WFO group, manifest refraction spherical equivalent (MRSE; P=0.000) was lower, and UCVA (P=0.005) was better in the TG group. The higher-order aberrations (HOAs; P=0.000), spherical aberration (P=0.000) and coma (P=0.000) were significantly lower in TG group. The cumulative Meta-analysis illustrated that the proportion of eyes achieving UCVA of 20/20 or better, postoperative refraction within ±0.5 diopter, and MRSE has steady between the two groups.

CONCLUSION

Both TG-LASIK and WFO-LASIK are safe, effective, and predictable for correcting myopia. TG-LASIK may produce fewer aberration and is more precise than WFO-LASIK.

Wavefront excimer laser refractive surgery for adults with refractive errors

BACKGROUND

Refractive errors (conditions in which the eye fails to focus objects accurately on the retina due to defects in the refractive system), are the most common cause of visual impairment. Myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism are low-order aberrations, usually corrected with spectacles, contact lenses, or conventional refractive surgery. Higher-order aberrations (HOAs) can be quantified with wavefront aberration instruments and corrected using wavefront-guided or wavefront-optimized laser surgery. Wavefront-guided ablations are based on preoperative measurements of HOAs; wavefront-optimized ablations are designed to minimize induction of new HOAs while preserving naturally occurring aberrations. Two wavefront procedures are expected to produce better visual acuity than conventional procedures.

OBJECTIVES

The primary objective was to compare effectiveness and safety of wavefront procedures, laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis (LASIK) or photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) or laser epithelial keratomileusis (LASEK) versus corresponding conventional procedures, for correcting refractive errors in adults for postoperative uncorrected visual acuity, residual refractive errors, and residual HOAs. The secondary objective was to compare two wavefront procedures.

SEARCH METHODS

We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, which contains the Cochrane Eyes and Vision Trials Register; 2019, Issue 8); Ovid MEDLINE; Ovid Embase; Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences (LILACS); the ISRCTN registry; ClinicalTrials.gov and the WHO ICTRP. The date of the search was 6 August 2019. We imposed no restrictions by language or year of publication. We used the Science Citation Index (September 2013) and searched the reference lists of included trials to identify additional relevant trials.

SELECTION CRITERIA

We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing either wavefront modified with conventional refractive surgery or wavefront-optimized with wavefront-guided refractive surgery in participants aged ⪰ 18 years with refractive errors.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

We used standard Cochrane methodology.

MAIN RESULTS

We identified 33 RCTs conducted in Asia, Europe and United States, totaling 1499 participants (2797 eyes). Participants had refractive errors ranging from high myopia to low hyperopia. Studies reported at least one of the following review-specific outcomes based on proportions of eyes: with uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) of 20/20 or better, without loss of one or more lines of best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BSCVA), within ± 0.50 diopters (D) of target refraction, with HOAs and adverse events. Study characteristics and risk of bias Participants were mostly women, mean age 29 and 53 years, and without previous refractive surgery, ocular pathology or systemic comorbidity. We could not judge risks of bias for most domains of most studies. Most studies in which both eyes of a participant were analyzed failed to account for correlations between two eyes in the analysis and reporting of outcomes. Findings For the primary comparison between wavefront (PRK or LASIK or LASEK) and corresponding conventional procedures, 12-month outcome data were available from only one study of PRK with 70 participants. No evidence of more favorable outcomes of wavefront PRK on proportion of eyes: with UCVA of 20/20 or better (risk ratio [RR] 1.03, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.86 to 1.24); without loss of one or more lines of BSCVA (RR 0.94, 95% CI 0.81 to 1.09); within ± 0.5 D of target refraction (RR 1.03, 95% CI 0.86 to 1.24); and mean spherical equivalent (mean difference [MD] 0.04, 95% CI -0.11 to 0.18). The evidence for each effect estimate was of low certainty. No study reported HOAs at 12 months. At six months, the findings of two to eight studies showed that overall effect estimates and estimates by subgroup of PRK or LASIK or LASEK were consistent with those for PRK at 12 month, and suggest no difference in all outcomes. The certainty of evidence for each outcome was low. For the comparison between wavefront-optimized and wavefront-guided procedures at 12 months, the overall effect estimates for proportion of eyes: with UCVA of 20/20 or better (RR 1.00, 95% CI 0.99 to 1.02; 5 studies, 618 participants); without loss of one or more lines of BSCVA (RR 0.99, 95% CI 0.96 to 1.02; I² = 0%; 5 studies, 622 participants); within ± 0.5 diopters of target refraction (RR 1.02, 95% CI 0.95 to 1.09; I² = 33%; 4 studies, 480 participants) and mean HOAs (MD 0.03, 95% CI -0.01 to 0.07; I² = 41%; 5 studies, 622 participants) showed no evidence of a difference between the two groups. Owing to substantial heterogeneity, we did not calculate an overall effect estimate for mean spherical equivalent at 12 months, but point estimates consistently suggested no difference between wavefront-optimized PRK versus wavefront-guided PRK. However, wavefront-optimized LASIK compared with wavefront-guided LASIK may improve mean spherical equivalent (MD -0.14 D, 95% CI -0.19 to -0.09; 4 studies, 472 participants). All effect estimates were of low certainty of evidence. At six months, the results were consistent with those at 12 months based on two to six studies. The findings suggest no difference between two wavefront procedures for any of the outcomes assessed, except for the subgroup of wavefront-optimized LASIK which showed probable improvement in mean spherical equivalent (MD -0.12 D, 95% CI -0.19 to -0.05; I² = 0%; 3 studies, 280 participants; low certainty of evidence) relative to wavefront-guided LASIK. We found a single study comparing wavefront-guided LASIK versus wavefront-guided PRK at six and 12 months. At both time points, effect estimates consistently supported no difference between two procedures. The certain of evidence was very low for all estimates. Adverse events Significant visual loss or optical side effects that were reported were similar between groups.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

This review suggests that at 12 months and six months postoperatively, there was no important difference between wavefront versus conventional refractive surgery or between wavefront-optimized versus wavefront-guided surgery in the clinical outcomes analyzed. The low certainty of the cumulative evidence reported to date suggests that further randomized comparisons of these surgical approaches would provide more precise estimates of effects but are unlikely to modify our conclusions. Future trials may elect to focus on participant-reported outcomes such as satisfaction with vision before and after surgery and effects of remaining visual aberrations, in addition to contrast sensitivity and clinical outcomes analyzed in this review.

Visual Outcomes and Higher Order Aberrations Following LASIK on Eyes with Low Myopia and Astigmatism

Background:

Laser-Assisted in situ Keratomileusis (LASIK) can induce corneal aberrations that can impact vision and patient satisfaction. Recent developments in laser technologies have helped minimise these aberrations.

Objective:

To assess the quality of vision and change in Higher-Order Aberrations (HOAs) following wavefront-optimized LASIK in low-myopic astigmatic patients.

Methods:

LASIK was performed on a total of 76 eyes in patients with myopia <4.0 D and cylinder <2.0 D using the WaveLight® EX500 excimer and FS200 femtosecond laser platform. Visual acuity, contrast sensitivity and HOAs were measured at 1 and 3 months postoperatively and compared to preoperative values. Subjective quality of vision was assessed pre- and postoperatively using a VF14 questionnaire.

Results:

Mean postoperative Spherical Equivalent (SE) was -0.09 ± 0.26 µm with 95% of patients within ± 0.5 D of attempted SE. Postoperative uncorrected distance visual acuity was 20/20 or better for 96% of patients. Contrast sensitivity increased against horizontal and vertical gratings at all spatial frequencies except for vertical gratings at 18 cycles/degree. Spherical aberration and total HOA increased by 0.085 µm and 0.13 µm respectively. The mean VF14 score increased from 89.2 ± 16.7% to 99 ± 1.4% postoperatively.

Conclusion:

LASIK performed using the WaveLight® EX500 excimer and WaveLight® FS200 laser platform provided improved contrast sensitivity and visual acuity with minimal introduction of HOAs, making it a suitable platform for low myopic astigmatic patients.

Multi-aspheric description of the myopic cornea after different refractive treatments and its correlation with corneal higher order aberrations

Background

To analyse the asphericity of the anterior corneal surface (ACS) for different diameters, and correlate those values with corneal higher order aberrations (cHOA) before and after myopic treatments with corneal refractive therapy (CRT) for orthokeratology and customized (CL) and standard laser (SL) assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK).

Setting

Clínica Oftalmológica NovoVisión, Madrid, Spain.

Methods

The right eyes of 81 patients (27 in each treatment group), with a mean age of 29.94 ± 7.5 years, were analysed. Corneal videokeratographic data were used to obtain corneal asphericity (Q) for different corneal diameters from 3 to 8 mm and cHOA root mean square (RMS) obtained from Zernike polynomials for a pupil diameter of 6 mm.

Results

There were statistically significant differences in asphericity values calculated at different corneal diameters for different refractive treatments and their changes. The difference between asphericity at 3 and 8 mm reference diameters showed statistically significant correlations with spherical-like cHOA that was also significantly increased after all procedures.

Conclusions

The shift in corneal asphericity and the differences among different treatment techniques are more evident for the smaller reference diameters. These differences can be much reduced or even masked for a peripheral reference point at 4 mm from centre, which is used by some corneal topographers.

Novel application for pseudopodia proteomics using excimer laser ablation and two-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis

We developed a novel application to conduct pseudopodia proteomics. Pseudopodia are ventral actin-rich protrusions and play functional roles in cell migrations. Identification of pseudopodia proteins leads to a further understanding of malignant phenotypes of tumor cells and novel therapeutic strategies. In our application, tumor cells were placed on a fibronectin-coated porous membrane to form pseudopodia. According to the motile potentials of the cells, the cells formed pseudopodial microprocesses in the pores. An excimer laser, which was used for ophthalmic refractive surgeries, horizontally ablated cells at the membrane surface to remove the cell body. The microscopic observations and the protein expression studies suggested that the laser treatment caused no apparent damages to pseudopodia. Proteins in whole cells and pseudopodia fractions were individually solubilized, labeled with a highly sensitive fluorescent dye, and separated using two-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis. Among 2508 protein spots observed, 211 had different intensity between whole cells and pseudopodia fractions (more than fourfold differences and P-value of <0.05). The protein enrichment depended on the pore size. Mass spectrometric protein identification revealed 46 pseudopodia-localizing proteins. The localization of novel pseudopodia-localizing proteins such as RAB1A, HSP90B, TDRD7, and vimentin was confirmed using immunohistochemical examinations. The previous studies demonstrated that these four proteins may function in the cell migration process. This method will provide insights into the molecular details of pseudopodia and a further understanding of malignant phenotypes of tumor cells and novel therapeutic strategies.

[Comparison of Lasik with femtosecond laser versus Lasik with mechanical microkeratome: predictability of flap depth, corneal biomechanical effects and optical aberrations]

OBJECTIVES

To compare the predictability of flap thickness, high-order optic aberrations (HOAs), and biomechanical properties of cornea between patients treated by Lasik with mechanical microkeratome versus patients treated by FemtoLasik.

SETTING

Department of ophthalmology, Pellegrin University Hospital, Bordeaux, France.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We conducted a retrospective study on 53 myopic patients who underwent Lasik with either mechanical microkeratome (MK group) or femtosecond laser (FS group). Refraction, central corneal thickness, high-order optic aberrations (HOAs), corneal hysteresis (CH), and corneal resistance factor (CRF), were analysed pre- and postoperatively in both groups. The central corneal thickness was measured with OCT-Visante(®) (Carl-Zeiss, Meditec), biomechanical parameters with ORA(®) (Reichert), and optical aberrations with the Wave Scan(®) (AMO) aberrometer.

RESULTS

We included 44 eyes of 22 patients in the MK group and 62 eyes of 31 patients in the FS group. Preoperatively, the mean best-corrected visual acuity was 0.95 in both groups. In the MK group, the flap was significantly thicker than expected (162/130 μm), but in the FS group, there was no significant difference (117/120 μm). The biomechanical properties of the cornea were lower in both groups independently of the flap cutting technique. The HOAs increased after Lasik and were not influenced by the flap cutting technique.

CONCLUSION

Neither mechanical microkeratome, nor femtosecond laser for flap creation, increases HOAs and the biomechanical changes of the cornea, according to ORA(®), significantly after Lasik.

Wavefront-optimized ablation versus topography-guided customized ablation in myopic LASIK: comparative study of higher order aberrations

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

To compare the outcomes of wavefront-optimized ablation and topography-guided ablation in fellow eyes of patients undergoing laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) for myopia.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

This prospective study included 84 patients who underwent LASIK in both eyes: wavefront-optimized ablation in one eye (group I) and topography-guided ablation in the fellow eye (group II). The Moria2 microkeratome with a 110 single-use head (Moria, Antony, France) was used to create a superior hinged flap and the Allegretto Wave Excimer Laser (Alcon/Wavelight Light Laser Technologie GmbH, Erlangen, Germany) for photoablation. The Allegretto wave analyzer was used to measure the ocular aberrations before and 6 months after LASIK. Refractive visual outcomes and ocular aberration changes were compared between the two treatment modalities.

RESULTS

Six months postoperatively, the mean uncorrected visual acuity of group II was statistically better than that of group I (P = .02). Seventy percent of group I and 83% of group II achieved a postoperative spherical equivalent refraction of ±0.5 diopters. The postoperative total root-mean-square of higher order aberrations (HOAs) of group II was smaller than that of group I, but the difference was not statistically significant (P = .51). There was a decrease in most of the individual terms of HOAs in group II, but it was only statistically significant in Z(3) (-1) (P = .04). The reverse occurred in group I, where most of the individual terms of HOAs increased, but it was not statistically significant. Significant improvement was only noted in Z(5) (3) (P = .05) and Z(5) (5) (P = .04).

CONCLUSION

Both wavefront-optimized ablation and topography-guided ablation provided good refractive results, but the latter induced fewer HOAs.

Effect of pupil size on corneal aberrations before and after standard laser in situ keratomileusis, custom laser in situ keratomileusis, and corneal refractive therapy

PURPOSE

To evaluate the effect of changing the pupil size on the corneal first-surface higher-order aberrations induced by different refractive treatments: standard laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK), custom LASIK, and corneal refractive therapy.

DESIGN

Observational study.

METHODS

Eighty-one right eyes from patients with a mean age of 29.94 +/- 7.5 years, of which 50 were female (61.7%), were analyzed retrospectively at the Clínica Oftalmológica NovoVision, Madrid, Spain. Corneal videokeratographic data were used to obtain corneal first-surface higher-order aberrations for aperture diameters from 3 to 8 mm using the Vol-CT software (Sarver & Associates, Inc). Total root mean square (RMS) and RMS for third- to sixth-order Zernike polynomials as well as spherical-like, coma-like, secondary astigmatism, and spherical plus coma-like variables were calculated.

RESULTS

We verified an increase in the higher-order aberration total RMS after treatments of 0.014 +/- 0.025 microm, 0.019 +/- 0.027 microm, and 0.018 +/- 0.031 microm for standard LASIK, custom LASIK, and corneal refractive therapy, respectively, for 3-mm pupil diameter. For the 8-mm aperture diameter, changes in total RMS increased by a factor of 50 compared with the variation for the 3-mm diameter up to 0.744 +/- 0.731 microm, 0.493 +/- 0.794 microm, and 0.973 +/- 1.055 microm for standard LASIK, custom LASIK, and corneal refractive therapy, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The 3 techniques increase the wavefront aberrations of the cornea and change the relative contribution of coma-like and spherical-like aberrations. For a large aperture (> 5 mm), corneal refractive therapy induces more spherical-like aberrations than standard and custom LASIK. However, no clinically or statistically significant differences existed for narrower apertures. Standard and custom LASIK did not display statistically significant differences regarding higher-order aberrations.

Higher-order aberrations and visual acuity after LASEK

BACKGROUND

To determine ocular higher-order aberrations (HOAs) in eyes with supernormal vision after myopic astigmatic laser subepithelial keratomileusis (LASEK) and to compare the findings with those in eyes with natural supernormal vision.

METHODS

Ocular HOAs were measured after LASEK in 20 eyes of 12 myopic astigmatic patients with postoperative uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) of >20/16 (group 1). Patients who were included in the study had no visual symptoms like glare, halo or double vision. The measurements were taken 8.3 +/- 3 months after LASEK surgery. In group 2 ocular HOAs were examined in 20 eyes of 10 subjects with natural UCVA of >20/16 as a control. Measurements were taken across a pupil with a diameter of 4.0 mm and 6.0 mm. Root-mean-square (RMS) values of HOAs, Z(3)-1, Z(3)1, Z(4)0, Z(5)-1, Z(5)1 and Z(6)0 were analyzed.

RESULTS

The mean RMS values for each order were higher in group 1 when compared with group 2 at 4.0 mm and 6.0 mm pupil diameters. There was no statistically significant difference between groups in spherical and coma aberrations (P > 0.05). Mean RMS values for total HOAs were 0.187 +/- 0.09 microm at 4.0 mm and 0.438 +/- 0.178 microm at 6.0 mm pupil in group 1 and 0.120 +/- 0.049 microm at 4.0 mm and 0.344 +/- 0.083 microm at 6.0 mm pupil in group 2. The difference between groups in total HOAs was statistically significant at 4.0 mm and 6.0 mm pupil diameters (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Ocular HOAs exist in eyes with supernormal vision. After LASEK, the amount of HOAs of the eye increases under both mesopic and photopic conditions. However the amount of HOA increase does not seem to be consistent with visual symptoms.