Efficacy of surface ablation retreatments using mitomycin C.

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Refractive Surgery
• Corneal Surgery

Background:

• Laser subepithelial keratectomy (LASEK) is a refractive surgery procedure.
• Enhancement procedures may be necessary to correct residual refractive errors after initial LASEK.
• Mitomycin C (MMC) is used during LASEK to inhibit haze formation and promote healing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the visual and refractive outcomes of LASEK enhancement using mitomycin C (MMC).
• To assess the incidence of complications following LASEK retreatment with MMC.
• To determine the safety and efficacy of repeat LASEK procedures with MMC.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective, noncomparative, interventional case series of 82 eyes.
• LASEK retreatment with 0.02% MMC applied for 60 seconds was performed 3 to 6 months after the initial LASEK surgery.
• Visual acuity and refractive errors were measured before and 3 months after the enhancement procedure.

Main Results:

• Post-enhancement uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) improved to 0.93 +/- 0.1, and best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BSCVA) was 0.977 +/- 0.1.
• Mean residual sphere was 0.09 +/- 0.3 D and residual cylinder was -0.2 +/- 0.3 D three months after retreatment.
• The safety index was 1.01 +/- 0.1 and the efficacy index was 0.96 +/- 0.1, with no reported haze, delayed healing, or endothelial decompensation.

Conclusions:

• LASEK enhancement using MMC is an effective method for correcting residual refractive errors after initial LASEK.
• The retreatment procedure demonstrated favorable visual and refractive outcomes.
• No significant complications were observed, indicating a good safety profile for LASEK enhancement with MMC.