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The Brillouin microscopy assessing corneal biomechanical changes after LASEK and SMILE

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First Author: H.Moon SOUTH KOREA

Co Author(s):    L. Yoo   A. Shin   H. Kwon   S. Yoon           

Abstract Details

Purpose:

To investigate corneal biomechanical changes after laser assisted subepithelial keratectomy (LASEK) and small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) with Brillouin microscopy

Setting:

Severance Hospital Yonsei University College of Medicine and Gangnam First Eye Clinic

Methods:

LASIK and SMILE were performed on 28 and 36 eyes, respectively. All subjects were myopic and type of surgery was randomly assigned. In order to measure corneal biomechanical changes as result of the surgery, corneal topography, pachymetry, and Brillouin microscopy were conducted. All examinations were performed at pre-operation, a week after, 2 months after, and 3 months after the operation. There were no contra-indications of refractive surgery with abnormal findings in pre-operational evaluation

Results:

There were no demographic differences in age and sex between the LASEK and SMILE group. No differences in average pre-operative spherical equivalent were found as well. The result of pre-operative and 3 months after examination demonstrates a significant correlation between Brillouin frequency shift and corneal thickness difference (P = < 0.05). At 3 months follow-up, no difference was found in corneal stiffness measured with Brillouin microscopy between the LASEK and SMILE group (p= 0.06), but there was an indication that the LASEK group showed smaller stiffness change than the SMILE group. (LASEK, 29.84 ± 10.29, SMILE 55.36 ± 8.91)

Conclusions:

Non-invasive Brillouin microscopy measures the exact corneal thickness. The study suggests that it is useful to predict the change in corneal stiffness before and after refractive surgery. It also presents that there is no statistical significance in post- operative corneal stiffness between LASEK and SMILE. However, there was relatively smaller difference in LASEK than SMILE due to the differences in post-operative tissue remodeling.

Financial Disclosure:

... is employed by a for-profit company with an interest in the subject of the presentation, ... research is funded, fully or partially, by a company producing, developing or supplying the product or procedure presented