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Published on: June 20, 2015
Continuous intraocular pressure recordings during lamellar microkeratotomy of enucleated human eyes
Jay C Bradley1, David L McCartney, Geert A Craenen
1Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas, USA.
Purpose:
To analyze the course of intraocular pressure (IOP) during lamellar microkeratotomy (LMK) in enucleated human eyes using 3 microkeratome systems.
Setting:
Department of Ophthalmology, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas, U.S.A.
Methods:
Sixteen enucleated human globes were cannulated through the optic nerve, and IOP was recorded continuously while the eyes had standard LMK flap creation. Three microkeratomes were used: Carriazo-Barraquer (Moria Inc.), Innovatome (Innovative Optics Inc.), and Hansatome (Bausch & Lomb).
Results:
During the vacuum affixation phase, the IOP reached a mean plateau of 97.9 mm Hg with the Hansatome, 135.8 mm Hg with the Innovatome, and 150.0 mm Hg with the Carriazo-Barraquer. During applanation and cutting, the IOP rose to mean plateau of 154.7 mm Hg, 151.8 mm Hg, and 175.8 mm Hg, respectively. Statistical analysis using Kruskal-Wallis testing suggested a difference in mean IOP elevation between the 3 microkeratomes during the vacuum affixation phase (P = .0394) but no difference during the applanation and cutting phase (P = .506).
Conclusion:
The IOP during LMK was higher than previously reported, and this may increase the risk for complications in certain patient groups.