TOPICAL INTERFERON-ALPHA-2B FOR CORNEAL HAZE AFTER EXCIMER-LASER PHOTOREFRACTIVE KERATECTOMY

Purpose: To determine whether topical interferon alpha 2b (IFN-alpha) prevents corneal haze after excimer laser photorefractive keratectomy (PRK). Setting: Tertiary referral ophthalmic hospital. Method: A prosp ective, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized study of 31 patie nts was undertaken. After surgery in a single institution, patients re ceived a drop of either a placebo or IFN-alpha (5 x 10(6) IU/ml) four times daily for 4 weeks. The main outcome measures were corneal haze, refraction, and visual acuity. Results: The major side effect of inter feron alpha treatment was a significant delay in epithelial healing by a mean of 2 days. The means of the average post-treatment clinical sc ores for haze in all patients up to 12 months after surgery were 0.46 +/- 0.25 for the IFN-alpha group and 0.64 +/- 0.43 for the placebo gro up (P =.20). Of patients with a correction of greater than 5.00 diopte rs (D), the IFN-alpha group had significantly less haze over the cours e of the study (0.39 +/- 0.23 versus 0.98 +/- 0.50; P = .03). After 12 months, the mean absolute spherical equivalent in the two groups was not significantly different (1.02 +/- 1.13 D versus 1.44 +/- 2.64 D). There was a tendency toward better uncorrected visual acuity in the IN F-alpha group (P <.10, Kolmogorov-Smirnov). Conclusion: Topical IFN-al pha may merit further investigation as a treatment to reduce corneal h aze after excimer laser PRK for corrections greater than 5.00 D.