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Published on: June 12, 2012
Automated lamellar therapeutic keratoplasty for post-PRK corneal scarring and thinning
Donald T H Tan1, Leonard P K Ang
1Singapore National Eye Centre, National University of Singapore, Singapore. snecdt@pacific.net.org
Purpose:
To present the use of automated lamellar therapeutic keratoplasty (ALTK) for the treatment of post-photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) corneal scarring and thinning with significant residual myopia.
Design:
Interventional case report.
Methods:
A patient with high myopia of -12 diopters previously underwent PRK that resulted in corneal scarring, myopic regression, moderate loss of best-corrected visual acuity, a residual refractive error of -6.50/-1.00 x 175 degrees, and a remaining corneal thickness of 300 mum. ALTK was first performed to remove the scar and to augment corneal thickness, and a subsequent laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis (LASIK) procedure was performed to correct the residual myopia.
Results:
ALTK effectively removed the corneal scar and augmented the corneal thickness to 639 mum. LASIK effectively treated the residual myopia, resulting in an unaided visual acuity of 20/25 and a stable refractive error of plano/-0.50 x 40 degrees. The ALTK interface remained clear throughout the follow-up period of 26 months.
Conclusion:
ALTK may be a reasonable alternative to conventional penetrating keratoplasty in the treatment of post-PRK corneal scarring and thinning, with a moderate loss of best-corrected visual acuity, and LASIK can be subsequently performed to correct the residual refractive error and achieve an excellent refractive and visual outcome.
