A prospective, randomized, contralateral eye comparison of epithelial laser in situ keratomileusis and photorefractive keratectomy in eyes prone to haze.

摘要

PURPOSE: To compare refractive outcome, subepithelial haze, and pain after epithelial laser in situ keratomileusis (epi-LASIK) and photorefractive keratectomy (PRK). METHODS: In this prospective, randomized study, 32 eyes of 16 patients were treated for myopia with epi-LASIK (epi-LASIK group) in one eye and PRK in the fellow eye (PRK group). All patients underwent ablation using the NIDEK EC-5000 CX II excimer laser platform. Mean patient age was 24.8 years (range: 19 to 35 years). Mean preoperative manifest refractive spherical equivalent (MRSE) was -2.76 diopters (D) (range: -1.00 to -4.88 D). Refractive outcome, subepithelial haze, and pain out to 6 months postoperatively were compared between groups. RESULTS: At 6 months postoperatively, the mean MRSE was -0.22 +/- 0.27 D (range: 0.25 to -0.88 D) in the epi-LASIK group and -0.23 +/- 0.29 D (range: 0.50 to -1.125 D) in the PRK group. There was no statistically significant difference in the refractive outcomes between groups. By postoperative day 4, 18% of the epi-LASIK group and 7% of the PRK group achieved the final uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA). On day 1 postoperatively, 14% fewer patients in the PRK group experienced pain compared with the epi-LASIK group. On postoperative day 2, 36% fewer patients in the epi-LASIK group experienced pain. Seventy-one percent of patients in the epi-LASIK group and 36% of patients in the PRK group had no haze postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: Epi-LASIK and PRK produced similar refractive outcome. Patients who underwent epi-LASIK experienced faster recovery of vision, less haze, and less pain.