Refractive Lenticule Transplantation for Correction of Iatrogenic Hyperopia and High Astigmatism After LASIK

To design a technique for intrastromal transplantation of stromal lenticules with specific refractive power for correction of post-LASIK induced hyperopia and astigmatism.

A 28-year-old patient was referred for consultation after complicated LASIK for moderate myopia and astigmatism. The refractive error of the right eye was severely overcorrected due to data entry error. Post-LASIK refraction showed high astigmatism (right eye: +6.50 -9.00 @ 84°) and corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) of 20/32. The corneal thickness was 282 µm. A refractive lenticule transplantation was performed due to contact lens intolerance, poor visual acuity, and severe anisometropia. A toric and myopic lenticule, obtained from a donor using the femtosecond lenticule extraction technique, was implanted under the flap to reduce the refractive error, bring the refraction of the eye to the level correctable by phakic intraocular lens, and restore corneal volume.

Six weeks postoperatively, the donor lenticule was spread smoothly in the interface with a minor temporal decentration in relation to pupil center. The refraction showed a reduction of astigmatism but a stronger myopization compared to preoperative calculations (right eye: -6.50 -4.00 @ 70°). At 3 months, the CDVA returned to the preoperative value of 20/32. One year postoperatively, corneal tomography showed no signs of ectasia and biomicroscopy revealed no signs of rejection. After implanting a toric myopic implantable collamer lens, the patient regained uncorrected distance visual acuity of 20/40 and full stereopsis.

The refractive lenticule transplantation technique offers a solution for rare cases of post-LASIK hyperopia and high astigmatism while restoring the volume of thin corneas. Moreover, it is a reversible procedure with low probability of rejection. [J Refract Surg. 2016;32(11):780-786.].