Epi-LASIK: Preliminary clinical results of an alternative surface ablation procedure
Accepted 8 September 2004.
Purpose
To evaluate the clinical results of epi-LASIK, a new surface ablation surgical technique for the treatment of low myopia.
Setting
Vardinoyannion Eye Institute of Crete, University of Crete, Greece.
Methods
Forty-four eyes of 31 patients had epi-LASIK for the correction of low myopia. Mean preoperative spherical equivalent was 3.71 diopters (D) ± 1.2 (SD) (range −1.75 to −7.00 D) and the mean baseline logMAR best spectacle-corrected visual acuity was −0.01 ± 0.06 (range 0.10 to −0.10). All the epithelial separations were performed with the Centurion epikeratome (CIBA Surgical). The enrolled patients were followed daily until the epithelial healing was complete as well as at 1- and 3-month intervals. On the operative day, patients filled out a questionnaire grading visual performance and pain score of treated eyes every 2 hours for a total of 5 records.
Results
The mean epithelial healing time was 4.86 ± 0.56 days (range 3 to 5 days). The mean logMAR uncorrected visual acuity on the day of reepithelization was 0.19 ± 0.09 (range 0.40 to 0.10). At 1 month, the mean was spherical equivalent of the treated eyes (N=44), −0.3 ± 0.6 D (range −1.0 to 0.87 D), and at 3 months it was (N=37), −0.10 ± 0.4 D (range −0.75 to 0.75 D); 97% of eyes had clear corneas or trace haze 3 months after treatment.
Conclusions
Preliminary clinical results suggest that epi-LASIK is a safe and efficient method for the correction of low myopia. Further studies will establish this method as an alternative surface ablation procedure.
From the Vardinoyannion Eye Institute of Crete (Pallikaris, Kalyvianaki, Katsanevaki, Ginis) and Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital of Heraklion (Pallikaris, Katsanevaki), Crete, Greece
Reprint requests to Vikentia J. Katsanevaki, MD, PhD, University of Crete, Medical School, Voutes, PO Box 1352, Heraklion, Crete, Greece.
Ioannis G. Pallikaris holds a patent on the Centurion epikeratome, and Harilaos S. Ginis and Vikentia J. Katsanevaki are paid consultants of CIBA Surgical. No other author has a financial or proprietary interest in any method or material mentioned.
ABSTRACT