Changes in Retinal Vessel Flow after Small Incision Lenticule Extraction
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Updated: Sep 29, 2025
Ye's Swing Technique for Small-incision Lenticule Extraction Surgery
Published on: June 27, 2025
Qian Tan1,2, Minyi Zhu2, Fangfang Du2
1Department of Ophthalmology, Shenzhen People's Hospital, Shenzhen 518000, China.
Objective:
In order to analyze changes in retinal vessel flow after small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE).
Methods:
A total of 32 patients (62 eyes) who underwent SMILE were enrolled in this prospective study. Optical parameters, including vessel density (VD), and perfusion density (PD) of foveal, parafoveal, and perifoveal regions, respectively, were measured before surgery and at 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months postoperation. Preoperative parameters and surgical parameters were recorded.
Results:
Significant decreases in VD and PD on postoperative day 1 were detected in all quadrants, both in 3 mm and in 6 mm regions (P < 0.001). One month after surgery, VD returned to preoperative levels. None of the preoperative and surgical parameters were significantly correlated with the VD and PD fluctuations (all P > 0.05). Conclusion. VD may decrease significantly with regional disparity 1 day after SMILE while recovering at 1 month. Elevation of intraocular pressure due to suction may account for such changes.
