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Corneal ectasia after LASIK associated with higher myopia, thinner corneas, review finds
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Corneas that develop ectasia after LASIK tend to have higher preoperative myopia, worse visual acuity and less corneal thickness than eyes that remain stable after LASIK, according to a retrospective analysis. Residual myopic error, increased astigmatism, increased corneal toricity and corneal thinning are common characteristics of patients who developed corneal ectasia after LASIK, said Michael D. Twa, OD, MS, and colleagues.
The researchers analyzed the characteristics of 86 eyes from 21 publications related to corneal ectasia after LASIK, and they compared those to 103 eyes that underwent uncomplicated LASIK with 12 months of follow-up.
Time from surgery to diagnosis of ectasia ranged from 6 to 20 months, with an average of 13 months. In the ectatic eyes, residual myopia ranged from –6 D to –2.13 D. This was significantly greater than residual myopia in the comparison group (P < .001).
After surgery, eyes with ectasia had increased corneal toricity ranging from 2 D to 4.9 D with increased mean oblique astigmatism of 1.3 D. These eyes also had a loss of 0.5 to 6 lines of visual acuity. Subsequent corneal transplant was performed in 35% of the eyes with ectasia.
The study is published in the July issue of Cornea.