Efficacy, Predictability, and Safety of Laser-Assisted Subepithelial Keratectomy for the Treatment of Myopia and Myopic astigmatism

PURPOSE: The purpose was to report the refractive and visual outcomes of laser-assisted subepithelial keratectomy (LASEK) for the treatment of myopia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective, noncomparative consecutive case series of 173 of 91 patients who had undergone LASEK is presented. Primary outcome variables included uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA), best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BSCVA), manifest refraction, epithelialization time, pain, haze, and complications. RESULTS: Preoperatively, the mean spherical equivalent (SE) was –3.71 ± 1.63 D (range, –0.875 D to 8.25 D), and the mean LogMAR BSCVA was –0.0374 ± 0.0767 D (range, –0.47 D to 0.00 D). On the final visit, the mean SE was –0.05 ± 0.335 D (range, –1.63 D to 1.00 D), the mean LogMAR UCVA was 0.04674 ± 0.0771 D (range, –0.3010 D to 0.1249 D) and the mean LogMAR BSCVA was –0.0164 ± 0.0497 (range –0.3010 to 0.124). All eyes achieved vision of 20/40 or better, and 83.2% of the eyes achieved a vision of 20/25 or better. One 64 (94.94%) and all the eyes were within ± 0.50 D and ± 1.00 D of the attempted correction respectively. Complete epithelialization occurred in 4.70 ± 2.09 days (range, 2-10 days). At the final visit, 79.7% of eyes had a clear cornea. Grade 1 haze developed in 17.34% of the eyes, grade 2 haze developed in 2.89% of eyes developed; no eyes developed grade 3 or 4 haze. CONCLUSIONS: LASEK is a safe, effective, and predictable method for the treatment of myopia and myopic astigmatism.