Role of Mitomycin C alone and combined with Vitamin C in preventing corneal haze post PRK for myopic correction

Session Details

Session Title: Photoablation Outcomes II

Session Date/Time: Wednesday 09/09/2015 | 08:00-09:30

Paper Time: 08:12

Venue: Room 1

First Author: : A.Rashed EGYPT

Co Author(s): :                        

Abstract Details

Purpose:

Evaluate the efficacy of administration of oral vitamin C combined with Mitomycin C(MMC) in prevention of corneal haze post PRK for myopia. Comparison of this combined prevention method with applying MMC alone.

Setting:

Magrabi Eye Center,Jizan,Saudi Arabia.

Methods:

120 eyes of 60 patients with myopia ranging from -1.00 D to -4.50 D were included in this study. Group A (60 eyes of 30 patients) took 500 mg of vitamin C twice a day one week prior to surgery and for two weeks after surgery.Intraoperatively this group was exposed to MMC also. Group B(60 eyes of 30 patients) was exposed to MMC only intraoperatively. Topical exposure time for MMC(0.02%) varied between 30 seconds and 2 minutes. Follow up was at 1 day, then 1 week,1 month,and 3 months successively.

Results:

For Group A,27(90%) eyes did not develop corneal haze. The 10% that did, the three eyes, developed it in the first month.Topical steroids were applied for them,starting at 4 times per day with gradual tapering, for the next two months. Corneal haze disappeared in a period ranging from 3 to 6 months postoperatively. In Group B,25 eyes(83%) were with clear corneas. The other 5 eyes(7%) were treated with the same regimen given for group A, 4 eyes totally healed with haze disappearance,and one eye had a persistant haze that left a dense paracentral stromal scar.

Conclusions:

Although topical MMC application is considered as a standard protocol by most surgeons to prevent corneal haze of post PRK myopia,the addition of oral vitamin C did not cause significant addition to that role. New innovative methods need to be established to try to prevent corneal haze, which then will give a chance for surface ablation to spread more widely as a tissue preserving and in the time more safe refractive procedure.

Financial Interest:

NONE