A comparison of en face and tangential wide-area excimer surface ablation in the rabbit

We used an argon fluoride excimer laser (193 nm) to perform anterior corneal surface ablation in New Zealand white rabbits (25 eyes) using both en face and tangential methods. We followed up the animals for 90 days using slit-lamp photography and pachymetry at predetermined intervals. We also examined selected tissues with scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Immediate and subsequent examinations revealed significant differences in clarity between the two groups. When viewed through slit-lamp microscopy, the rabbits undergoing the en face method exhibited hazy corneas and irregular surfaces, whereas the corneas that underwent tangential keratectomy demonstrated less haze and fewer surface irregularities. Through histologic study and electron microscopy, we corroborated this finding. At 30 days, there was a statistically significant difference in clarity between en face--treated corneas and those treated tangentially.