A. Chatterjee et al., RESULTS OF EXCIMER-LASER RETREATMENT OF RESIDUAL MYOPIA AFTER PREVIOUS PHOTOREFRACTIVE KERATECTOMY, Ophthalmology, 104(8), 1997, pp. 1321-1326
Background: Nine percent to 30% of all patients who undergo a single e
xcimer laser photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) do not achieve an unaid
ed visual acuity of 20/40 or better and may require optical correction
to obtain adequate vision. Methods: The authors performed a retrospec
tive analysis of the records of 164 patients who had undergone retreat
ment with the excimer laser for residual myopia after a previous PRK.
Mean follow-up was 35.5 +/- 15.2 weeks (range, 26-104 weeks). Results:
The mean spherical equivalent (MSE) before retreatment was -2.59 +/-
1.36 diopter (D) (range, -0.50 to -7.75 D). The final MSE after reabla
tion was -0.52 +/- 1.36 D (range, 2.50 to -5.50), Of the 164 patients,
107 (65.2%) obtained a final refraction within 1.00 D of emmetropia a
nd 111 (67.3%) achieved an unaided visual acuity of 20/40 or better. O
nly 10 patients (6.1%) lost more than one Snellen line of best-correct
ed visual acuity. The final MSE result for the subgroup of patients wh
o had a pre-retreatment myopia of between -0.50 and -1.90 D (-0.31 +/-
1.09 D) was significantly closer to emmetropia than that of the subgr
oup with a residual myopia of -4.00 to -7.75 D (-1.62 +/- 1.94D). Conc
lusions: Excimer laser retreatment may provide a relatively safe and p
redictable method of correcting residual myopia after an earlier PRK w
ith a 25% extra correction recommended for residual myopia.