Preoperative topographic characteristics of eyes that developed postoperative LASIK keratectasia

Advanced Surface Ablation in a Patient With Suspect Topography: A Case Report

The purpose of this clinical report is to describe a 10-year clinical outcome of advanced surface ablation with photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) in a patient who had been previously incorrectly diagnosed with keratoconus (KC). Corneal ectasia is a rare but extremely relevant complication of laser vision correction, and KC represents a major contraindication for these procedures. Nonetheless, some surface ablation procedures, such as PRK, might be a valid option for particular patients with atypical corneal topography or subclinical or mild forms of KC. Patient education and complete preoperative refractive multimodal imaging are essential for a more conscious therapeutic decision, minimizing iatrogenic ectasia, as well as decreasing the number of patients who are incorrectly denied refractive surgery, as was the patient presented in this study.

Characterization of postoperative LASIK ectasia features on higher-order aberration excimer ablation maps

BACKGROUND

To characterize anterior corneal higher-order aberration (HOA) excimer ablation map patterns in postoperative LASIK ectasia (POE) and to examine correlations between newly identified corneal HOA ablation map features of POE and known topographic indices.

METHODS

Prospective multicenter non-interventional descriptive study. A total of 28 eyes from 22 POE patients were enrolled. The postoperative HOA ablation map was derived from Topolyzer Vario corneal imaging at the time of POE diagnosis. Features that recurred were identified and then analyzed. Correlations to Orbscan indices were studied.

RESULTS

An arrangement of two elliptical paracentral ablation islands, deep inferior and shallow superior, in direct mirror-like opposition to each other, were identified on all HOA maps. The paracentral islands were accompanied by peripheral ablation crescents. The deep paracentral inferior island 'hot spot' coincided with the topographical apical POE cone and was highly reproducible in angular position (249.3 ± 17.3°). There was significant variation in ablation depth (shallow superior island: 11.5 ± 6.9 μm and deep inferior island: 32.5 ± 18.8 μm). The superior crescents had high variability in depth (34.8 ± 18.9 μm). Strong correlations were found between the corneal irregularity index and the ablation depth difference between the deep and shallow paracentral islands (R = 0.96; P < 0.0001).

CONCLUSION

The corneal HOA excimer ablation map revealed a recurring, distinct, easily recognizable pattern in POE eyes. Validated Orbscan POE indices and HOA ablation map islands showed a strong correlation. It is possible to extract useful information from the corneal HOA ablation map, potentially making it suitable for diagnosing and monitoring POE although more studies are needed.

Ectasia After Corneal Refractive Surgery: A Systematic Review

INTRODUCTION

The incidence of ectasia following refractive surgery is unclear. This review sought to determine the worldwide rates of ectasia after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK), laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK), and small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) based on reports in the literature.

METHODS

A systematic review was conducted according to modified Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Publications were identified by a search of eight electronic databases for relevant terms between 1984 and 2021. Patient characteristics and preoperative values including manifest refractive spherical refractive equivalent (MRSE), central corneal thickness (CCT), anterior keratometry, postoperative residual stromal bed (RSB), and percent tissue altered (PTA) were summarized. In addition, annual rates of each refractive surgery were determined, and incidence of post-refractive ectasia for each type was calculated using the number of ectatic eyes identified in the literature.

RESULTS

In total, 57 eyes (70 eyes including those with preoperative risk factors for ectasia) were identified to have post-PRK ectasia, while 1453 eyes (1681 eyes including risk factors) had post-LASIK ectasia, and 11 eyes (19 eyes including risk factors) had post-SMILE ectasia. Cases of refractive surgery performed annually were estimated as 283,920 for PRK, 1,608,880 for LASIK, and 96,750 for SMILE. Reported post-refractive ectasia in eyes without preoperative identifiable risk factors occurred with the following incidences: 20 per 100,000 eyes in PRK, 90 per 100,000 eyes in LASIK, and 11 per 100,000 eyes in SMILE. The rate of ectasia in LASIK was found to be 4.5 times higher than that of PRK.

CONCLUSION

Post-refractive ectasia occurs at lower rates in eyes undergoing PRK than LASIK. Although SMILE appears to have the lowest rate of ectasia, the number of cases already reported since its recent approval suggests that post-SMILE ectasia may become a concern. Considering that keratoconus is a spectrum of disease, pre-existing keratoconus may play a larger role in postoperative ectasia than previously accounted for in the literature.

Factors associated with changes in posterior corneal surface following photorefractive keratectomy

PURPOSE

To identify factors associated with changes in the posterior cornea curvature following laser refractive surgery.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

This retrospective study included myopic astigmatic eyes that underwent PRK between January 2013 and December 2013 at Care-Vision Laser Centers, Tel-Aviv, Israel. The average posterior K was measured with the Sirius device at a radius of 3 mm from the center. The correlations between the surgical induced change in average posterior k and preoperative parameters such as central corneal thickness (CCT), refraction, Baiocchi Calossi Versaci index (BCV), ablation depth, percent tissue altered (PTA), and residual stroma bed (RSB) were analyzed.

RESULTS

A total of 280 eyes with a mean age of 24.9 ± 6.1 years (range, 18-47 years were included in this study. The mean PTA was 14.8 ± 6.0%. A greater change in posterior K was found in females (p = 0.01), smaller treatment zones of 6.0 mm (p = 0.02) and PTA > 20% (p < 0.001). A lower CCT (r =  - 0.24, p < 0.001), higher myopia (r =  - 0.34, p < 0.001), higher astigmatism (r =  - 0.17, p < 0.001), higher total BCV (r = 0.13, p = 0.03), lower back BCV (r =  - 0.12, p = 0.05), higher front BCV (r = 0.16, p = 0.01), higher posterior I-S ratio (r = 0.16, p = 0.01), and a lower RSB (r =  - 0.42, p < 0.001) were all significantly correlated with percentage of change in mean posterior K. In ranked stepwise multiple regression analysis, 26.2% of the variance of change in posterior K could be explained by the examined factors. The factors that remained significant were PTA (p < 0.001), CCT (p = 0.001), and posterior I-S ratio (p = 0.001). PTA alone accounted for 15% of the variance in posterior K changes in multivariate analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

Understanding of factors affecting a change in posterior cornea after refractive surgery may have an important practical value for the prevention of iatrogenic keratectasia. Preoperative CCT, posterior I-S ratio, and PTA were significantly associated with changes in posterior K after PRK. PTA was the strongest predictor of posterior corneal changes (p < 0.001).

Outcomes of photorefractive keratectomy in patients with posterior corneal steepening

PURPOSE

To assess post-operative outcomes following photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) in patients with posterior corneal steepening compared to an age, gender and refraction matched control group.

METHODS

A retrospective matched case-control study that analysed outcomes of PRK in eyes with posterior corneal steepening as shown by the Sirius tomography (Sirius, CSO, Italy), versus normal eyes. Both groups were age, gender and refraction matched. Data collected include: demographic data, pre-operative and post-operative refraction, uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA) and corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), maximal ablation depth. Inferior-superior ratio, central corneal thickness (CCT), mean posterior keratometry (K), Baiocchi Calossi Versaci index for the front (BCV_f) and back (BCV_b) cornea, the symmetry index of front (SI_f) and back (SI_b) corneal curvature were assessed pre- and postoperatively.

RESULTS

Overall, 89 study eyes and 954 normal myopic eyes were included. Compared to the control group, corneas with posterior steepening demonstrated significantly reduced CDVA (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.007) and lower CCT (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.03), before and following the operation, respectively. Pre-operative BCV_f, BCV_b, SI_f and SI_b were significantly higher in corneas with posterior steepening (p < 0.0001) and remained higher following the surgery except for BCV_f. Ectasia occurred in one eye (1.1%). The safety and efficacy indices at 12 months were comparable for both groups.

CONCLUSION

PRK on corneas with posterior steepening results in similar refractive outcomes compared to normal eyes, 1 year following the surgery. Keratectasia is a rare, however a possible complication.

Advanced Surface Ablation in Mild (Fruste) Keratoconus: A Case Report

Corneal ectasia is a complication of refractive surgery, and keratoconus is a contraindication to this type of procedure. Surface ablation may be an option for selected cases of mild keratoconus, with patient education being fundamental to this treatment as well as a complete evaluation of the cornea and optical properties of the patient. Here we report the clinical outcome of a patient 15 years after advanced surface ablation in a case of mild (fruste) keratoconus.

Enhanced Tomographic Assessment to Detect Corneal Ectasia Based on Artificial Intelligence

PURPOSE

To improve the detection of corneal ectasia susceptibility using tomographic data.

DESIGN

Multicenter case-control study.

METHODS

Data from patients from 5 different clinics from South America, the United States, and Europe were evaluated. Artificial intelligence (AI) models were generated using Pentacam HR (Oculus, Wetzlar, Germany) parameters to discriminate the preoperative data of 3 groups: stable laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) cases (2980 patients with minimum follow-up of 7 years), ectasia susceptibility (71 eyes of 45 patients that developed post-LASIK ectasia [PLE]), and clinical keratoconus (KC; 182 patients). Model accuracy was independently tested in a different set of stable LASIK cases (298 patients with minimum follow-up of 4 years) and in 188 unoperated patients with very asymmetric ectasia (VAE); these patients presented normal topography (VAE-NT) in 1 eye and clinically diagnosed ectasia in the other (VAE-E). Accuracy was evaluated with ROC curves.

RESULTS

The random forest (RF) provided highest accuracy among AI models in this sample with 100% sensitivity for clinical ectasia (KC+VAE-E; cutoff 0.52), being named Pentacam Random Forest Index (PRFI). Considering all cases, the PRFI had an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.992 (94.2% sensitivity, 98.8% specificity; cutoff 0.216), being statistically higher than the Belin/Ambrósio deviation (BAD-D; AUC = 0.960, 87.3% sensitivity, 97.5% specificity; P = .006, DeLong's test). The optimized cutoff of 0.125 provided sensitivity of 85.2% for VAE-NT and 80% for PLE, with 96.6% specificity.

CONCLUSION

The PRFI enhances ectasia diagnosis. Further integrations with corneal biomechanical parameters and with the corneal impact from laser vision correction are needed for assessing ectasia risk.

Topographic, Tomographic, and Aberrometric Characteristics of Post-LASIK Ectasia

PURPOSE

To report the refractive, topographic, tomographic, and aberrometric characteristics of post-LASIK ectasia; to compare these characteristics with normal post-LASIK controls; and to propose a comprehensive system to grade the severity of post-LASIK ectasia.

METHODS

The refraction, corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), magnitude, and location of the steepest and thinnest point on the cornea, the highest anterior and posterior surface elevation, the radius of best fit sphere, corneal asphericity, and corneal aberrations were measured in 50 eyes of 29 patients with post-LASIK ectasia. These were compared with corresponding parameters in 50 eyes that did not develop ectasia for more than 1 year after LASIK. A logistic regression analysis was used to create a scoring system to grade the severity.

RESULTS

Eyes with post-LASIK ectasia had significantly higher myopia with astigmatism and a lower CDVA than control eyes. Mean topographic toricity was 3.4 ± 1.9D, mean keratometry at the steepest point was 55.32 ± 6.63D, mean highest posterior elevation was 69.72 ± 3 μm, and mean coma was -2.06 ± 1.2 μm. All these parameters were significantly higher than corresponding values in the control group (p < 0.001 in all). Spherical aberration was more negative and the change in asphericity indicated significantly greater prolate shape of the cornea in eyes with post-LASIK ectasia compared to controls. Five parameters, namely, CDVA, spherical equivalent, highest posterior corneal elevation, spherical aberration, and corneal asphericity, were identified as significant predictors of post-LASIK ectasia and used to create a scoring system.

CONCLUSION

Post-LASIK ectasia is characterized by significant changes in refraction, topography, tomography, and aberrometry. The proposed scoring system may be useful in diagnosing, grading, and monitoring post-LASIK ectasia.

Effect of femtosecond and microkeratome flaps creation on the cornea biomechanics during laser in situ keratomileusis: one year follow-up

AIM

To compare the corneal biomechanical outcomes at one year after laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) with the flaps created by Ziemer and Moria M2 microkeratome with 110 head and -20 blade.

METHODS

Totally 100 eyes of 50 consecutive patients were enrolled in this prospective study and divided into two groups for corneal flaps created by ZiemerFemto LDV and Moria M2 microkeratome with 110 head and -20 blade. Corneal biomechanical properties including cornea resistance factor (CRF) and cornea hysteresis (CH) were measured before and 1, 3, 6, 12mo after surgery by ocular response analyzer. Central cornea thickness and corneal flap thickness were measured by optical coherence tomography.

RESULTS

The ablation depth (P=0.693), residual corneal thickness (P=0.453), and postoperative corneal curvature (P=0.264) were not significant different between Ziemer group and Moria 110-20 group after surgery. The residual stromal bed thickness, corneal flap thickness, CH and CRF at 12mo after surgery were significant different between Ziemer group and Moria 110-20 group (P<0.01);Ziemer group gained better corneal biomechanical results. The CRF and CH increased gradually from 1 to 12mo after surgery in Ziemer group, increased from 1 to 6mo but decreased from 6 to 12mo in Moria 110-20 group. Both CRF and CH at one year after surgery increased with the increasing of residual cornea thickness; pre-LASIK CRF, CRF also increased with residual stromal bed thickness, while CH decreased with the increasing of pre-LASIK intraocular pressure and cornea flap thickness (P<0.01).

CONCLUSION

In one year follow-up, femtosecond laser can provide better cornea flaps with stable cornea biomechanics than mechanical microkeratome.

Application of corneal tomography before keratorefractive procedure for laser vision correction

Ectasia after refractive surgery represents a major concern among refractive surgeons. Corneal abnormalities and preexisting corneal ectasia are the most important risk factors. Corneal topography and central corneal thickness are the factors traditionally screening for in refractive surgery candidates. Study of the anterior surface by Placido topography allows for identification of keratoconus before biomicroscopy. However, this is insufficient for the evaluation of pre-operative refractive surgery. There are cases of ectasia after laser in situ keratomilusis (LASIK) without identifiable risk factors such that there is a need to go beyond the corneal surface. A key requirement is quantifying susceptibility to corneal biomechanical instability and progression to ectasia. Tomographic indices derived from elevation maps and pachymetry spatial variation produce a Belin Ambrosio display final D index (BAD-D index), which has shown better results compared to surface curvature indices for detecting very mild forms of ectasia. A logistic regression formula, integrating age, residual stromal bed, and BAD-D (Ectasia Susceptibility Score, ESS) resulted in a significant improvement in accuracy, leading to 100% sensitivity and 94% specificity for detecting susceptible cases. A comprehensive corneal structural analysis based on corneal segmental tomography can detect susceptible corneas, which increases safety for refractive surgery patients.

Ectasia risk factors in refractive surgery

This review outlines risk factors of post-laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) ectasia that can be detected preoperatively and presents a new metric to be considered in the detection of ectasia risk. Relevant factors in refractive surgery screening include the analysis of intrinsic biomechanical properties (information obtained from corneal topography/tomography and patient’s age), as well as the analysis of alterable biomechanical properties (information obtained from the amount of tissue altered by surgery and the remaining load-bearing tissue). Corneal topography patterns of placido disk seem to play a pivotal role as a surrogate of corneal strength, and abnormal corneal topography remains to be the most important identifiable risk factor for ectasia. Information derived from tomography, such as pachymetric and epithelial maps as well as computational strategies, to help in the detection of keratoconus is additional and relevant. High percentage of tissue altered (PTA) is the most robust risk factor for ectasia after LASIK in patients with normal preoperative corneal topography. Compared to specific residual stromal bed (RSB) or central corneal thickness values, percentage of tissue altered likely provides a more individualized measure of biomechanical alteration because it considers the relationship between thickness, tissue altered through ablation and flap creation, and ultimate RSB thickness. Other recognized risk factors include low RSB, thin cornea, and high myopia. Age is also a very important risk factor and still remains as one of the most overlooked ones. A comprehensive screening approach with the Ectasia Risk Score System, which evaluates multiple risk factors simultaneously, is also a helpful tool in the screening strategy.

Detection of subclinical keratoconus through non-contact tonometry and the use of discriminant biomechanical functions

The purpose of the present study was to develop a discriminant function departing from the biomechanical parameters provided by a non-contact tonometer (Corvis-ST, Oculus Optikgeräte, Wetzlar, Germany) to distinguish subclinical keratoconus from normal eyes. 212 eyes (120 patients) were divided in two groups: 184 healthy eyes of 92 patients aged 32.99 ± 7.85 (21-73 years) and 28 eyes of 28 patients aged 37.79 ± 14.21 (17-75 years) with subclinical keratoconus. The main outcome measures were age, sex, intraocular pressure (IOP), corneal central thickness (CCT) and other specific biomechanical parameters provided by the tonometer. Correlations between all biomechanical parameters and the rest of variables were evaluated. The biomechanical measures were corrected in IOP and CCT (since these variable are not directly related with the corneal structure and biomechanical behavior) to warrant an accurate comparison between both types of eyes. Two discriminant functions were created from the set of corrected variables. The best discriminant function created depended on three parameters: maximum Deformation Amplitude (corrected in IOP and CCT), First Applanation time (corrected in CCT) and CCT. Statistically significant differences were found between groups for this function (p=2·10(-10); Mann-Withney test). The area under the Receiving Operating Characteristic was 0.893 ± 0.028 (95% confidence interval 0.838-0.949). Sensitivity and specificity were 85.7% and 82.07% respectively. These results show that the use of biomechanical parameters provided by non-contact tonometry, previous normalization, combined with the theory of discriminant functions is a useful tool for the detection of subclinical keratoconus.

Role of percent tissue altered on ectasia after LASIK in eyes with suspicious topography

PURPOSE

To investigate the association of the percent tissue altered (PTA) with the occurrence of ectasia after LASIK in eyes with suspicious preoperative corneal topography.

METHODS

This retrospective comparative case-control study compared associations of reported ectasia risk factors in 129 eyes, including 57 eyes with suspicious preoperative Placido-based corneal topography that developed ectasia after LASIK (suspect ectasia group), 32 eyes with suspicious topography that remained stable for at least 3 years after LASIK (suspect control group), and 30 eyes that developed ectasia with bilateral normal topography (normal topography ectasia group). Groups were subdivided based on topographic asymmetry into high- or low-suspect groups. The PTA, preoperative central corneal thickness (CCT), residual stromal bed (RSB), and age (years) were evaluated in univariate and multivariate analyses.

RESULTS

Average PTA values for normal topography ectasia (45), low-suspect ectasia (39), high-suspect ectasia (36), low-suspect control (32), and high-suspect control (29) were significantly different from one another in all comparisons (P < .003) except high- and low-suspect ectasia groups (P = .033), and presented the highest discriminative capability of all variables evaluated. Age was only significantly different between the high-suspect ectasia and normal topography ectasia groups, and CCT was not significantly different between any groups. Stepwise logistic regression revealed the PTA as the most significant independent variable (P < .0001), with RSB the next most significant parameter.

CONCLUSIONS

There remains a significant correlation between PTA values and ectasia risk after LASIK, even in eyes with suspicious corneal topography. Less tissue alteration, or a lower PTA value, was necessary to induce ectasia in eyes with more remarkable signs of topographic abnormality, and PTA provided better discriminative capabilities than RSB for all study populations.

Pentacam Scheimpflug tomography findings in topographically normal patients and subclinical keratoconus cases

PURPOSE

To evaluate Pentacam ectasia detection indices in topographically normal patients and in subclinical keratoconus cases.

DESIGN

Prospective, observational case series.

METHODS

setting: Institutional. patients: Group 1 comprised 1 eye from 189 patients with unremarkable topography and Groups 2 and 3 included the better and worse eyes, respectively, of 55 keratoconic patients. Group 2 eyes with normal topography (n = 37) were considered subclinical keratoconus cases. observation procedure: Pentacam Scheimpflug tomography. main outcome measures: Eleven Pentacam ectasia detection indices.

RESULTS

All Pentacam ectasia indices significantly differed between Groups 1 and 2 and were correlated with keratoconus grade. Only 99 eyes (52%) in Group 1 had normal values for every index, whereas 7 subclinical keratoconus eyes (19%) showed 2 or fewer abnormal indices. Standardized relational thickness and overall deviation indices had 73% and 89% sensitivity for subclinical keratoconus, respectively. Both average and maximum pachymetric progression indices offered 84% sensitivity while maximum relational thickness index showed 78% sensitivity for subclinical keratoconus. Optimized cutoff values for subclinical keratoconus increased the sensitivity of the standardized and maximum relational thickness indices.

CONCLUSION

Pentacam Scheimpflug tomography can detect most subclinical keratoconus cases with unremarkable topography, but performance is not as good as reported and varies considerably for each index. The overall deviation, average and maximum pachymetric progression, and maximum relational thickness indices offer the highest sensitivity, which can be improved by using optimized cutoff values. Specificity constitutes an issue for some indices and up to 10% of subclinical keratoconus cases may go undetected by this technology.

Association between the percent tissue altered and post-laser in situ keratomileusis ectasia in eyes with normal preoperative topography

PURPOSE

To investigate the association of a novel metric, percent tissue altered, with the occurrence of ectasia after laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) in eyes with normal corneal topography and to compare this metric with other recognized risk factors.

DESIGN

Retrospective case-control study.

METHODS

The study included 30 eyes from 16 patients with bilateral normal preoperative Placido-based corneal topography that developed ectasia after LASIK (ectasia group) and 174 eyes from 88 consecutive patients with uncomplicated LASIK and at least 3 years of postoperative follow-up. The following metrics were evaluated: age, preoperative central corneal thickness, residual stromal bed, Ectasia Risk Score System scores, and percent tissue altered, derived from [PTA = (FT + AD)/CCT], where FT = flap thickness, AD = ablation depth, and CCT = preoperative central corneal thickness.

RESULTS

In the ectasia group, percent tissue altered ≥40 was the most prevalent factor (97%), followed by age <30 years (63%), residual stromal bed ≤300 μm (57%), and ectasia risk score ≥ 3 (43%) (P < .001 for all). Percent tissue altered ≥ 40 had the highest odds ratio (223), followed by residual stromal bed ≤ 300 μm (74) and ectasia risk score ≥ 4 (8). Stepwise logistic regression revealed percent tissue altered ≥ 40 as the single most significant independent variable (P < .0001).

CONCLUSIONS

Percent tissue altered at the time of LASIK was significantly associated with the development of ectasia in eyes with normal preoperative topography and was a more robust indicator of risk than all other variables in this patient population.

Validation of metrics for the detection of subclinical keratoconus in a new patient collective

PURPOSE

To validate the discriminative ability of wavefront- and pachymetry-based corneal topographic metrics to detect subclinical keratoconus in a new patient collective.

SETTING

Department of Ophthalmology, Goethe-University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

DESIGN

Retrospective cross-sectional study.

METHODS

Normal fellow eyes with early keratoconus and preoperative eyes with an uneventful follow-up without signs of iatrogenic keratectasia 12 months after laser in situ keratoconus were included. Zernike coefficients from the anterior and posterior surfaces and corneal thickness spatial profiles and corresponding discriminant functions were assessed for their usefulness to discriminate between eyes with subclinical keratoconus and normal eyes using receiver-operating-characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Discriminant functions were obtained from a previous study and constructed de novo from the present collective.

RESULTS

The anterior C(1,-1) and C(3,-1) coefficients had the highest area under the ROC curve (both 0.87). The anterior 5th-order root mean square (RMS) was the RMS value with the maximum area under the ROC curve (0.90). The discriminant function with input from anterior and posterior Zernike coefficients (DAP) and DAP including pachymetry data (DAPT) performed best (area under ROC curve 0.864 and 0.857, respectively). Applying cutoff values from a previous study resulted in a minimal drop in accuracy (0.0% to 1.3%). The construction of discriminant functions from the present dataset resulted in a gain in accuracy of between 3.5% and 9.6%, with DAPT reaching the maximum area under the ROC curve of 0.956.

CONCLUSION

Validation in a new and larger patient collective proved the usefulness of metrics based on corneal wavefront and pachymetry for the detection of subclinical keratoconus.

FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE

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

Photorefractive keratectomy in patients with mild to moderate stable keratoconus: a five-year prospective follow-up study

Background

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the visual outcome of photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) in patients with mild to moderate stable keratoconus and to assess the risk of progression of the disease after the excimer laser procedure.

Methods

In this prospective study, carried out at the Clemenceau Medical Center, an affiliate of Johns Hopkins International, in Beirut, Lebanon, 119 eyes from 72 patients with grade 1–2 keratoconus (Amsler–Krumeich classification) underwent PRK. Forty-seven patients had both eyes treated and 25 patients had one eye treated. The procedure was done using the Wavelight Eye Q Excimer laser. Uncorrected and best-corrected visual acuity, corneal topography, and pachymetry were assessed before the procedure and 3, 6, 12, 36, and 60 months after the procedure.

Results

Mean uncorrected visual acuity showed a statistically significant improvement (P < 0.05) at one, 3, and 5 years follow-up. One hundred and seventeen eyes (98.3%) showed no progression while two eyes (1.7%) showed progression of the disease at 5 years follow-up, as documented by corneal topography and pachymetry. These two eyes were treated with corneal collagen crosslinking.

Conclusion

PRK in mild to moderate keratoconus is a safe and effective procedure for improving uncorrected vision in patients with mild refractive errors. However, close follow-up of patients is needed to detect any progression of the disease. Longer follow-up is needed to assess the overall effect of this procedure on progression of the disease.