SCRAPING OF EPITHELIUM FOR TREATMENT OF UNDERCORRECTION AND HAZE AFTER PHOTOREFRACTIVE KERATECTOMY

We report an easy, safe technique to treat regression and haze after e xcimer laser photorefractive keratectomy (PRK), in which the hyperplas tic epithelium is removed manually. The results of scraping of epithel ium in 21 eyes of 20 patients are presented. Mean follow-up time was 3 months (range 1 to 7). The mean spherical equivalent refraction befor e photorefractive keratectomy was -9.93 +/- 2.95 diopters (D); the mea n spherical equivalent refraction before epithelial scraping was -3.82 +/-2.87 D; after scraping it declined to -2.63 + /- 4.04 D. The uncor rected visual acuity after scraping was 20/50 or better in 6 eyes. In 5 others it was between 20/60 and 20/100, and in 10 eyes it was worse than 20/100. The corrected visual acuity after scraping was 20/30 or b etter in 8 eyes, between 20/40 and 20/60 in 8 eyes, and between 20/60 and 20/100 in 5 eyes.