Augenabteilung am St. Franziskus Hospital Münster
Influence of Epithelial Flap on LASEK and Epi-LASIK
Suphi Taneri, Saskia OehlerAuthors have no financial interest.
ASCRS, April 9-14, 2010, BostonASCRS, April 9-14, 2010, Boston
Augenabteilung am St. Franziskus Hospital MünsterAugenabteilung am St. Franziskus Hospital Münster
Purpose Purpose
• To elucidate the influence of the epithelial flap after EPI-LASIK and LASEK for the correction of low to moderate ametropia on visual recovery, epithelial closure, pain, and haze formation
Augenabteilung am St. Franziskus Hospital MünsterAugenabteilung am St. Franziskus Hospital Münster
MethodsMethods
• In this comparative (self-controlled) single-center study 40 eyes were treated with bilateral EPI-LASIK (Zyoptix XP microkeratome with EPI Separator, Bausch & Lomb) and 40 eyes with LASEK.
Epithelial flap repositioned
Epithelial flapdiscarded
Epi-LASIK 20 20 LASEK 20 20
Augenabteilung am St. Franziskus Hospital MünsterAugenabteilung am St. Franziskus Hospital Münster
Results: Visual recoveryResults: Visual recovery
Mean uncorrected distance visual acuity was better in EPI-LASIK in the absence of an epithelial flap on day 1, 2, and 4.After 3 months the uncorrected distance visual acuity was nearly similar between all groups. (* statistically significant, ** highly statistically significant)
*
Augenabteilung am St. Franziskus Hospital MünsterAugenabteilung am St. Franziskus Hospital Münster
Results: Pain PerceptionResults: Pain Perception
Pain scores decreased continually from day 1 to day 4 in all groups and showed no significant difference between the 4 groups.
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Results: Epithelial ClosureResults: Epithelial Closure
*
(* statistically significant)
Augenabteilung am St. Franziskus Hospital MünsterAugenabteilung am St. Franziskus Hospital Münster
Results: Haze FormationResults: Haze Formation
EPI-LASIK Mean Range
Flap repositioned
0.45 ± 0.37 0-1
Flap discarded 0.43 ± 0.59 0-2.5
LASEK Mean Range
Flap repositioned
0.35 ± 0.46 0-1
Flap discarded 0.33 ± 0.44 0-1
Haze levels (Fantes classification) at 3 months
Augenabteilung am St. Franziskus Hospital MünsterAugenabteilung am St. Franziskus Hospital Münster
Results: Perceived Change in Snellen Results: Perceived Change in Snellen LinesLinesDifference between corrected distance visual acuity
preoperatively and uncorrected distance visual acuity postoperatively
Augenabteilung am St. Franziskus Hospital MünsterAugenabteilung am St. Franziskus Hospital Münster
Results: Efficacy IndicesResults: Efficacy Indices
Augenabteilung am St. Franziskus Hospital MünsterAugenabteilung am St. Franziskus Hospital Münster
Results: Safety IndicesResults: Safety Indices
Augenabteilung am St. Franziskus Hospital MünsterAugenabteilung am St. Franziskus Hospital Münster
ConclusionConclusion
No clinically significant differences of LASEK and EPI-LASIK could be detected regardless of epithelial flap retention in terms of visual recovery, epithelial closure time, pain perception, and haze formation.Treatment modalities may be used at the surgeon’s discretion.