Results of pediatric laser in situ keratomileusis

Purpose: To evaluate the results of laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) fo r uniocular high myopia in pediatric eyes. Setting: Dr. Agarwal's Eye Hospital, Chennai (Madras), India. Methods: Sixteen eyes that were treated by LASIK for uniocular high myopia were retrospectively analyzed. The mean patient age was 8.4 years +/- 1.83 (SD) (range 5 to 11 years). Laser in situ keratomileusis was performed usin g the Technolas Keracor 217 excimer laser and the Automated Corneal Shaper microkeratome, which created a 160 mu m corneal lamellar flap. Postoperativ ely, patients were reviewed at 1 day, 1 week, and 1, 6, and 12 months, The examination included uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA), best corrected visua l acuity (BCVA), refraction, anterior segment evaluation, grading of haze b ased on a 5-point scale, intraocular pressure, corneal topography, and fund us evaluation. The Student t test was used for statistical analysis. Results: The charts of all patients were analyzed at the 12 month visit. Th e mean preoperative spherical equivalent (SE) was -14.88 +/- 3.69 diopters (D) range -9.00 to -23.00 D) and the mean postoperative SE, -1.44 +/- 1.14 D (range 0 to -2.50 D) (P < .05). The safety index was 1.01 (mean postopera tive BCVA 0.54 and mean preoperative BCVA 0.53; P = .77). The efficacy inde x was 0.53 (mean postoperative UCVA 0.28 and (mean preoperative BCVA 0.53). None of the eyes had an induced astigmatism of more than 0.5 D, Twelve eye s regained their BCVA, 2 lost 1 line of BCVA, arid _2 gained 1 line. Three eyes had grade 2 haze. No retinal complications were observed. Conclusion: In this study, LASIK for uniocular high myopia in pediatric eye s provided encouraging results in the management of select cases of anisome tropic amblyopia when other measures failed. A larger study with a longer f ollow-up is necessary to determine the long-term effects. J Cataract Refrac t Surg 2000; 26:684-689 (C) 2000 ASCRS and ESCRS.