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LASEK effectively treated post-LASIK myopic regression in study
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Patients who experience myopic regression after undergoing LASIK can be successfully re-treated using LASEK, a small study shows. However, investigators found that attempting corrections of –2 D or more was associated with a significant rate of haze, the authors noted.
Nurullah Cagil, MD, and colleagues in Ankara, Turkey, reviewed outcomes for 24 eyes of 15 patients treated with a LASEK enhancement for post-LASIK residual refractive errors. The average age of the patients was 34 years. The interval between the primary LASIK surgery and the LASEK enhancement averaged 26 months, according to the study.
Before the initial LASIK procedure, spherical equivalent averaged –4.88 D and cylinder averaged 0.63 D. Using LASEK, surgeons attempted a mean spherical equivalent correction of –1.25 D, although the attempted correction was –2 D or more in six eyes.
At 11.5 months mean follow-up, mean uncorrected visual acuity had significantly improved from 20/45 to 20/25 (P < .001), spherical equivalent refraction averaged –0.38 D and cylinder averaged 0.38 D, according to the study.
Before the LASEK enhancement, only one eye (4.2%) had UCVA of 20/25 or better, and 12 eyes (50%) had UCVA of 20/40 or better, the authors reported. After LASEK, 15 eyes (62.5%) achieved UCVA of at least 20/25, and 21 eyes (87.5%) achieved UCVA of at least 20/40, they said.
Five eyes of three patients developed significant haze after LASEK, all of which had an attempted correction of at least –2 D, the authors noted. Frequent use of topical steroids caused the haze to regress in four of these five eyes. The remaining eye had persistent grade 3 haze and suffered a loss of BCVA, they said.
The study is published in the April issue of Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.