This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Transepithelial PRK may be preferable for mild to moderate myopia
J Cataract Refract Surg. 2011;37(10):1852-1857
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Myopic patients with or without astigmatism experienced less pain, less postoperative haze, faster healing time and similar visual outcomes after undergoing transepithelial PRK vs. conventional PRK, according to a study.
The prospective study analyzed consecutive eyes between January 2010 and November 2010 in Beirut, Lebanon. All eyes had mild or moderate myopia, with or without astigmatism; 50 eyes had transepithelial PRK, while 50 had conventional PRK. The groups were matched for age, refractive error, keratometry readings, optical zone and central corneal thickness.
At 48 hours postop, the mean subjective pain score (out of 10) was 2 in the transepithelial group and 4.5 in the traditional group (P = .02). The mean time to complete epithelial healing was 2.5 days for transepithelial and 3.7 days for traditional (P = .01) PRK.
Traditional PRK offered significantly better uncorrected distance visual acuity at 1 week postop; but by 3 months, there was no statistically significant difference in uncorrected distance visual acuity, corrected distance visual acuity or manifest refraction between the two groups. Subjectively graded subepithelial haze was below grade 2 in all patients' follow-up visits.
The study was potentially limited by the brief follow-up period of 3 months and the fact that no objective photos were taken of epithelial healing. However, a single observer, unaware of which technique was used, assessed healing in all eyes.