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Risk factors for LASIK epithelial defects include corneal thickness, age

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CLEVELAND — Both age and corneal thickness are risk factors for intraoperative epithelial defects during LASIK. Patients with a defect in the first LASIK eye are much more likely to develop epithelial defects in the second eye as well, a study here found.

Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic retrospectively reviewed 24 eyes that developed intraoperative epithelial defects among 247 eyes that underwent LASIK. Risk factors identified included older age, thicker preoperative corneal thickness and maintenance of suction ring vacuum during the reverse pass of the microkeratome. Preop and intraoperative eye-drop regimen had a significant effect on the risk of defects as well. Patients who underwent bilateral LASIK were much more likely to develop epithelial defects in the second eye if the first eye developed a defect (57% vs. 1%).

The study is published in the September issue of American Journal of Ophthalmology.