Study: Preoperative characteristics may increase risk of chronic dry eye after LASIK

Preoperative tear volume may influence recovery of the ocular surface and increase the risk of chronic dry eye after LASIK, according to a multicenter study published in the January issue of Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science.

Keiko Konomi, MD, and colleagues performed LASIK on 24 eyes of 24 patients and evaluated tear breakup time, Schirmer testing with and without anesthesia, rose bengal staining, central corneal sensitivity, nucleus-to-cytoplasmic ratio and goblet cell density at baseline and at 1 week, 3 months and 9 months postop.

Specifically, the investigators analyzed dry eye status at 9 months to determine whether preoperative characteristics may prompt patients to develop postoperative chronic dry eye. Subsequently, all patients were classified into two outcome groups: the non-dry-eye group and the chronic dry-eye group.

All parameters - excluding rose bengal staining - had significantly worsened postoperatively but returned to preoperative levels within 3 to 9 months, the authors noted.

"The [chronic dry-eye group] had significantly lower preoperative Schirmer test values with and without anesthesia and were delayed in recovery after surgery in goblet cell density, rose bengal staining, Schirmer test values without anesthesia and tear breakup time," the authors said.

Preoperative Schirmer test results without anesthesia were positively correlated with tear breakup time at 9 months postop, according to the study.