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Corneal sensation after small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) compared to previous LASIK studies

Session Details

Session Title: Refractive Femtosecond

Session Date/Time: Sunday 06/10/2013 | 17:00-18:30

Paper Time: 17:42

Venue: Elicium 2 (First Floor)

First Author: : M.Gobbe UK

Co Author(s): :    D. Reinstein   E. Bartoli   T. Archer        

Abstract Details

Purpose:

To longitudinally evaluate the recovery of central corneal sensation after small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) and compare this to data from published studies after LASIK.

Setting:

London Vision Clinic, London, UK

Methods:

A retrospective non-comparative case series included 156 myopic eyes of 80 consecutive patients treated with SMILE using the VisuMax femtosecond laser (Carl Zeiss Meditec). Central corneal sensation was measured using a Cochet-Bonnet aesthesiometer before and 1 day, 1 week, 1, 3, and 6 months after the procedure. Baseline was defined as the 5mm less than the preoperative value. A literature search was performed to find published studies reporting central corneal sensation using a Cochet-Bonnet aesthesiometer before and after LASIK. The data from these studies was averaged and used as a comparison for the SMILE population.

Results:

Mean maximum myopic meridian treated was -7.16±2.58 D (range: -2.25 to -12.78 D). Median age was 33 years (range: 19 to 66 years). After SMILE, central corneal sensation dropped from 54 mm preoperatively to 32 mm on day one, rising to 40 mm at 1 week, 44 mm at 1 month, 49 mm at 3 months and 50 mm at 6 months. Corneal sensation had returned to baseline by 1 month in 62%, by 3 months in 77% and by 6 months in 80% of eyes. Twenty studies were identified that reported central corneal sensation after LASIK and the data were averaged at each time point; the central corneal sensation dropped from 56 mm preoperatively to 9 mm at day one, rising to 15 mm at 1 week, 22 mm at 1 month, 33 mm at 3 months, 44 mm at 6 months and 50 mm at 12 months. Across the LASIK studies, the mean spherical equivalent refraction treated was -4.3 D and mean age was 34.2 years.

Conclusions:

There was less reduction in central corneal sensation after SMILE than after LASIK at all time points and recovery to normal levels was reached in the majority of patients by 3 months after SMILE compared with 6-12 months after LASIK.

Financial Interest:

... receives consulting fees, retainer, or contract payments from a company producing, developing or supplying the product or procedure presented