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Comparative study on epithelial thickness remodelling after two different techniques of laser corneal refractive surgery for myopia treatment

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First Author: L.Primavera ITALY

Co Author(s):    J. Alió Del Barrio   M. Cantó Cerdán   M. El Bahrawy   J. Alió Sanz           

Abstract Details

Purpose:

Corneal epithelium changes after laser refractive surgery (showing a central thickening after central myopic ablations), what influences the postoperative refractive outcome. The objective of this study was to compare these changes in the corneal epithelium in myopic patients operated with two different techniques of laser refractive surgery: femtosecond laser assisted LASIK (Visumax + Amaris Schwind) and SMILE (Visumax).

Setting:

Vissum Instituto Oftalmologico in Alicante, Spain

Methods:

220 operated myopic eyes from 110 myopic patients were analyzed. 47.7% were women and 52.3% were men, with age range between 20 and 56 years. They were divided into groups according to the surgical technique (109 received SMILE and 111 FemtoLasik). All patients had complete visual and refractive examination preoperatively and at 1, 3 and 6 months postoperatively. Epithelial map measurements were performed using a combined anterior segment OCT and Scheimpflug topographer (MS39, CSO) at the same time points. The mean value of the epithelial thickness in the central area with a diameter of 3 mm was analyzed.

Results:

Spherical equivalent at 6 months changed from -4.88±1.92D to -0.04±0.43D in the SMILE group, while in the FemtoLasik group changed from -3.19±1.78D to - 0.01±0.36D. Regarding the mean central epithelial thickness: preoperative 52.25±3.37µm and postoperative 55.16±3.94µm for SMILE at 6 months, while for FemtoLASIK was ​​preoperatively 53.31±3.57µm and postoperatively 55.41±4.18µm. Statistically significant differences were found between preop and postop values in the epithelial map analysis with both types of surgeries (p < 0.05). No significant differences were found in any of the values ​​of the epithelial map analysis between SMILE and FemtoLASIK (p > 0.05).

Conclusions:

MS39 is able to detect a statistically significant increase in central cornea epithelial thickness after myopia laser correction with both SMILE and femtoLASIK techniques. However, both options show equivalent epithelial changes without relevant differences in the postoperative epithelial map behavior.

Financial Disclosure:

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