Photorefractive keratectomy: implications of corneal wound healing.

Photorefractive keratectomy: implications of corneal wound healing.

Photorefractive keratectomy: implications of corneal wound healing

Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) with an argon fluoride laser (193 nm) was developed to alter the refractive power of the eye predictably and permanently. At PRK the central corneal epithelium is debrided mechanically and a disc 4 to 6 mm in diameter is ablated into the anterior stroma using computer controlled algorithms to control the depth of the wound. Theoretically for corrections of up t...

Histopathology of corneal wound healing after photorefractive keratectomy in rabbit eyes.

esults of excimer laser photorefractive kera-tectomy (PRK) for low and moderate myopia are clinically acceptable. 1,2 After PRK, slight changes in corneal transparency in the ablation zone or some superficial corneal problems can be observed postoperatively, no matter the excimer laser employed. Some reports describe anterior wound healing after excimer laser keratectomy. Tuft et al 3 and Marsh...

Corneal epithelial healing after photorefractive keratectomy: analytical study.

PURPOSE To characterize the velocity of epithelial migration after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) with 3 different corneal ablation patterns. SETTING Department of Ophthalmology, Catholic University of Rome, Rome, Italy. METHODS Fifteen patients (30 eyes) with mild to moderate myopia and with simple to compound myopic astigmatism were enrolled for this study. The surgical procedure consi...

Corneal ectasia after photorefractive keratectomy.

Two patients developed corneal ectasia after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK). Case 1 had evidence of early keratoconus preoperatively, with manifest refractions of -4.00 +2.50 x 160 (20/20) in the right eye and -7.00 +3.00 x 180 (20/30) in the left eye; thin corneas (472 microm and 441 microm, respectively); and inferior paracentral steepening in the right eye and central steepening in the le...