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Updated: Jul 14, 2026

Correction of Presbyopia by Monocular Bi-Aspheric Ablation Profile
Published on: September 20, 2024
Long-term results of thin corneas after refractive laser surgery
George D Kymionis1, Dimitrios Bouzoukis, Vasilios Diakonis
1Department of Ophthalmology, Vardinoyannion Eye Institute of Crete, University of Crete, Greece. kymionis@med.uoc.gr
Purpose:
To report the long-term refractive results of photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) and laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) in patients with thin corneas.
Design:
A long-term, retrospective, non-randomized follow-up study.
Methods:
Sixty-three patients (124 eyes) (28 males and 35 females), who had a preoperative central corneal thickness (CCT) of less than 500 microns and completed at least one year of follow-up examinations after surgery. Thirty-five patients (68 eyes) underwent PRK and 28 patients (56 eyes) underwent LASIK.
Results:
Mean preoperative corneal pachymetry was 484.95 +/- 6.65 microm (range, 470 to 498 microm) and 482.38 +/- 10.73 microm (range, 453 to 499 microm) for LASIK and PRK, respectively. No intraoperative complications were found in both groups. None of the included eyes developed postrefractive corneal ectasia. The mean predictability for the PRK group was 0.08 diopters (D) with a standard deviation of 0.40 D (range, -1.38 to 1.00 D), and the mean predictability for the LASIK group was 0.14 D with a standard deviation of 0.55 D (range, -1.25 to 1.33 D).
Conclusions:
Refractive laser surgery with LASIK or PRK in patients with thin corneas (less than 500 microm) seems to be a safe and predictable technique for myopic refractive corrections.

