LASIK complication: loss of electricity to the microkeratome during the forward pass

A 32-year-old woman was scheduled for myopic laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) because of myopia and anisometropia caused by retinal detachment surgery.

During surgery, a sudden malfunction of the microkeratome during the forward pass was experienced. It was not possible to reverse the blade manually along the suction ring. Moreover, disconnecting the suction from the control unit did not help at first, because the suction ring was firmly attached to the ocular surface. However, detaching the suction line from the control unit aborted the vacuum and allowed the surgeon to turn the whole microkeratome backwards, mimicking the normal blade movement. Finally, an almost normal flap was observed, and the operation was successfully completed. Afterwards, the wire to the electromotor of the microkeratome was found to be broken and subsequently replaced.

This type of unforeseen microkeratome malfunction may result in serious flap or other complications.