Posters

Comparison of visual outcomes and safety of trans-epithelial photorefractive keratectomy using the Wavelight EX500 with conventional photorefractive keratectomy

Poster Details

First Author: M.Parkar INDIA

Co Author(s):    P. Vaddavalli   J. Reddy   P. Gogri              

Abstract Details

Purpose:

To compare the outcomes of trans-epithelial photorefractive keratectomy (tPRK) with conventional photorefractive keratectomy (c-PRK) for the treatment of myopia and myopic astigmatism.

Setting:

Tertiary Eye Care Institute in India

Methods:

In this prospective, randomised, contralateral eye study, 54 eyes of 27 patients with myopia or myopic astigmatism were included. One eye of each patient was randomised to transepithelial-PRK (t-PRK) group while the contralateral eye was randomised to the conventional-PRK (c-PRK) group. All procedures were performed using EX500 excimer laser (WaveLight , Alcon, Fort Worth, TX). Outcome measures included uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA), epithelial healing time and post-operative pain using Visual Analog Scale (VAS).

Results:

Postoperatively, there was no significant difference between the two groups with respect to UCVA (p=0.30). The epithelial healing time in the t-PRK group was 3.44±0.57 days and in the c-PRK group was 3.80±0.76 days(p=0.01). The VAS scores in the t-PRK group from the first to fourth post-operative days were 58.00±16.02, 48.17±16.52, 2.85±10.35 and 5.00±9.40 respectively and, in the c-PRK group were 74.50±9.55, 50.93±10.68, 19.28±10.97, 5.00±7.20 respectively. These values were  statistically significant on the first (p=0.0008) and second  (p=0.015) post-operative days, but not on the third (p=0.4) and fourth (p=0.5) days.

Conclusions:

Transepithelial PRK is superior to conventional PRK with respect to healing time and immediate post-operative pain, and is comparable with it in regards with visual outcomes.

Financial Disclosure:

None