A METHOD FOR EXAMINING SURFACE AND INTERFACE IRREGULARITIES AFTER PHOTOREFRACTIVE KERATECTOMY AND LASER IN SITE KERATOMILEUSIS - PREDICTOR OF OPTICAL AND FUNCTIONAL OUTCOMES

PURPOSE: To develop a system for the examination of the ablated surfac e after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) and laser in situ keratomile usis (LASIK) and to correlate the surface regularity to the functional outcome. METHODS: A Nidek Eas-1000 Anterior Eye Segment Analysis Syst em was used to examine the ablated surface or the interface regularity immediately after PRK and LASIK. Eighty eyes were evaluated and divid ed into three study groups: group 1; regularity (18 eyes), group 2; mi ld irregularity (32 eyes), group 3; severe irregularity (30 eyes). RES ULTS: At 12 months postoperatively, group 1 (regularity) showed the be st percentage of eyes with 0 haze (100%) and with a refraction +/-1.00 D of piano (89%); group 2 (mild irregularity) 84% had 0 haze and 62% were +/-1.00 D of plano; group 3 (severe irregularity) 27% had 0 haze and 47% were +/-1.00 D of piano. CONCLUSION: The patients with no post operative irregularity had a sharply lower incidence of haze and a bet ter refractive outcome with respect to piano, confirming the influence of ablation regularity on the results and the importance of this anal ysis in clinical practice.