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Published on: June 27, 2025
Laceration and partial dislocation of LASIK flaps 7 and 4 years postoperatively with 20/20 visual acuity after repair
George J C Jin1, Kevin H Merkley
1The Eye Institute of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84107, USA. georgejin@hotmail.com
Purpose:
To report two cases of late ocular trauma resulting in laceration of corneal flaps 7 and 4 years (cases 1 and 2, respectively) after LASIK.
Methods:
A 49-year-old man sustained laceration of the flap and interface foreign body debris from construction material in the right eye 7 years after uneventful LASIK (case 1). A 33-year-old man had partial dislocation of the flap 4 years after LASIK in the left eye (case 2) due to a penetrating wood chip accident. Surgical procedures were performed to remove the foreign bodies and reposition the flaps.
Results:
In case 1, postoperative uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) was 20/25 with manifest refraction of -0.50 -0.50 x 110 corrected to 20/20. In case 2, UCVA was 20/20 with piano refraction after LASIK retreatment.
Conclusions:
Corneal LASIK flaps are susceptible to penetrating trauma, which can occur >7 years after the procedure. Proper everamanage ment of the trauma and LASIK flap can restore excellent visual acuity.
