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Four techniques for retreatment after excimer laser photorefractive keratectomy
L Spadea1, G Bianco, E Balestrazzi
1University of L'Aquila, Department of Ophthalmology, Rome, Italy.
Background:
Retreatment should be considered for patients unsatisfied because of undercorrection and/or haze following excimer laser photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) for myopia. It is unclear if any specific type of retreatment is superior to another, especially in terms of post-treatment myopic shift and haze.
Methods:
After a mean follow-up of 12.4 +/- 5.5 months, we retreated 10 eyes by four different techniques following failed PRK: only PRK, PRK with phototherapeutic keratectomy (PTK), only PTK, and mechanical scraping.
Results:
After a mean follow-up of 11.4 +/- 7.8 months (range, 6 to 28 mos), the final mean refraction was 2.40 +/- 2.00 D (range, 0 to -6.00 D). Corneal clarity improved in 70% of eyes. The mean uncorrected visual acuity improved from 20/200 to 20/40. Of the four retreatment techniques, only scraping proved ineffective, due to unstable outcome.
Conclusions:
PRK alone, PRK with PTK, and PTK alone appeared safe and effective methods of retreatment, with no worsening of corneal clarity.