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Dynamic changes of tear fluid matrix metralloproteinase-9 within 1 year after laser in situ keratomileusis
Hongpei Ji1, Aiwei Chen, Weiwei Zhang
1Department of Ophthalmology, Guizhou Provincial People's Hospital, Guiyang 550002, China.E-mail: jihongpei@sina.com.
Objective:
To investigate the dynamic changes of matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) level in tear fluid within 12 months after laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK).
Methods:
Twenty-two myopic patients undergoing uneventful LASIK were enrolled in this study. Tear fluid samples were collected from the patients for measurements of MMP-9 level using Western blotting preoperatively, at 7 and 14 days, and at 1, 2, 3, 6, and 12 months after the surgery.
Results:
MMP-9 concentrations in the tear fluid of post-LASIK patients showed a time-dependent variation pattern. MMP-9 reached its peak level in the tear fluid at 14 days postoperatively, which was 2.70 times the preoperative level; it gradually decreased thereafter but was still 1.38 times the preoperative level at 12 months after the surgery.
Conclusions:
MMP-9 concentrations in the tear fluid of post-LASIK patients show a time-dependent variation pattern and remains higher than the preoperative level even at 12 months after the surgery, suggesting that corneal wound healing after LASIK lasts for more than 12 months.
