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Diode thermal keratoplasty effective in young hyperopes, surgeons find
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Patients with low hyperopia and low to moderate hyperopic astigmatism benefited from diode laser thermal keratoplasty in a European study. The study authors said the procedure was effective, minimally invasive and low in risk.
Rudolf Berret, MD, and colleagues at the University Eye Hospital Tuebingen (Germany) and elsewhere studied the diode laser thermal keratoplasty procedure in two groups of patients: Group 1 comprised 20 eyes with spherical hyperopia and Group 2 comprised 15 eyes with hyperopic astigmatism. Both groups were treated with two rings of laser spots; the diameter of the inner ring was 6 or 7 mm. Each ring consisted of eight spots for hyperopia correction. For astigmatism correction, four additional pairs of spots were applied around the flat corneal meridian.
Group 1 had a mean change in manifest spherical equivalent refraction of 2 D at 18 months postop. Mean uncorrected visual acuity improved from 20/100 preop to 20/50 at 1 month postop. Mean UCVA was stable from 3 months on, with mean values varying from 20/40 to 20/32.
In group 2, the mean change in manifest spherical equivalent refraction was 1.8 D at 15 months. Mean UCVA improved from 20/63 preop to 20/40 at 1 month postop. UCVA remained stable from 3 months on, with a mean value of 20/32.
No correlation was found between preop keratometric power and refractive effect in either group. No correlation was found between the amount of preop ametropia and the achieved refractive effect in either group. A correlation was found between age and refractive effect, the study authors noted.
The mean induced astigmatic change in group 1 was 2.5 D at 1 month, decreasing to 0.7 D by 18 months. In group 2, the mean manifest refractive astigmatism changed from 3 D preop to 1.3 D at 15 months.
There were no clinically meaningful complications, no recurrent corneal erosions, no vascularization of laser spots and no ocular infections, the authors said.
The authors noted that ProLaser Medical is no longer in business, and the Rodenstock DTK laser used in their study is no longer being manufactured.
The study is published in the March/April issue of Journal of Refractive Surgery.