Assessment of ocular hemodynamics after laser in situ keratomileusis using color Doppler imaging

To investigate ocular blood flow changes in healthy myopic patients following laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) using color Doppler imaging. Sixteen eyes of 16 myopic patients were studied. LASIK was performed and intraocular pressure was raised to levels ≥65 mmHg. Color Doppler images were obtained to study the ophthalmic and central retinal arteries preoperatively and postoperatively at 1 day, 1 week, and 1 month. There was no significant correlation between patient age and preoperative ocular blood flow parameters. A significant positive correlation between the degree of myopia and the peak systolic volume of the ophthalmic artery (r = 0.6, P = 0.01) was found. A highly significant decrease in the peak systolic volume and end-diastolic volume with an increase in the resistive index of both arteries (P < 0.005) was seen at 1 day and 1 week postoperatively. There was no significant difference between the preoperative and postoperative data 1 month after the procedure. The findings of this study show temporary alterations in ocular blood flow parameters after LASIK. LASIK is an increasingly common lifestyle procedure and further studies on larger groups are still recommended.