Study finds MMC useful adjunct in LASEK on thin corneas

NEW ORLEANS — LASEK performed in myopes with thin corneas yielded long-term stable results with the use of mitomycin-C, according to a study presented here.

During the Refractive Subspecialty Day preceding the American Academy of Ophthalmology annual meeting, Miguel A. Teus, MD, discussed the results of a retrospective study of 64 consecutive eyes, all of which had undergone LASEK to correct their myopia or myopic astigmatism. All patients had central corneal thickness (CCT) of less than 500 µm, Dr. Teus said.

"No other paper has studied this issue of stability of the refraction after mitomycin-C application in the operation," he said.

The patients all received intraoperative mitomycin-C 0.02% over 30 seconds. Their results were reviewed between 3 and 15 months postoperatively to detect any myopic shift that might point to corneal ectasia, he said.

The patients' preoperative CCT ranged from 454 µm to 499 µm and their preop spherical refraction was between 0 D and –11 D. At 3 months postop, their CCT ranged from 339 µm to 472 µm, and the mean residual sphere was +0.2 D ± 0.5 D.

At 15 months postop, the results showed that residual sphere remained stable at +0.2 D ± 0.8 D. Cylinder, uncorrected visual acuity and best corrected visual acuity also remained stable at between 3 and 15 months postoperatively.

Dr. Teus also noted that no eye developed any sign of ectasia.