The following is a summary of “Regional analysis of posterior corneal elevation after laser refractive surgeries for correction of myopia of different degrees,” published in the June 2024 issue of Ophthalmology by Chen et al.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study evaluating the regional changes in the posterior corneal elevation after three different laser refractive surgeries to correct different levels of myopia (nearsightedness).
They included 200 patients (200 eyes), all of whom had undergone either laser epithelial keratoplasty (LASEK), femtosecond-assisted laser in-situ keratomileusis (FS-LASIK), or small-incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) surgeries. The surgery group was divided into 2 groups according to spherical equivalent (SE) based on the severity of preoperative myopia: low-to-moderate myopia (LM group) and high myopia (H group). Pentacam Scheimpflug tomography was used to measure posterior corneal elevation before surgery and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months post-operation. The posterior cornea was partitioned into three subregions: the central, paracentral, and peripheral regions. The methodology employed for statistical analysis was Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE).
The results showed similar trends in changing posterior corneal elevation for all surgeries and refractive subgroups. In FS-LASIK, the H group had a more significant change than the low-LM group over time (P<0.05). However, no significant difference was observed in the 2 refractive subgroups of LASEK or SMILE (P>0.05). The central posterior corneal elevation returned to preoperative levels in LASEK (P>0.05) but shifted forward significantly in FS-LASIK and SMILE after 12 months (P<0.05).
Investigators concluded that various corneal regions reacted diversely to refractive surgeries. The LASEK showed a more stable corneal shape compared to FS-LASIK and SMILE.
Source: journals.lww.com/ijo/fulltext/2024/72060/regional_analysis_of_posterior_corneal_elevation.11.aspx
The post Posterior Corneal Elevation Changes After LASEK, FS-LASIK, and SMILE for Varying Degrees of Myopia first appeared on Physician's Weekly.