Analysis of corneal endothelial cell density and morphology after laser in situ keratomileusis using two types of femtosecond lasers

PURPOSE: To compare two different femtosecond lasers used for flap creation during laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) surgery in terms of their effects on the corneal endothelium. METHODS: We performed LASIK surgery on 254 eyes of 131 patients using IntraLase FS60 (Abbott Medical Optics, Inc, Irvine, CA; IntraLase group) and 254 eyes of 136 patients using Femto LDV (Ziemer Group AG, Port, Switzerland; LDV group) for corneal flap creation. The mean cell density, coefficient of variation, and hexagonality of the corneal endothelial cells were determined and the results were statistically compared. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in the corneal morphology between pre and post LASIK results in each group, nor were there significant differences between the results of both groups at 3 months post LASIK. CONCLUSIONS: Both IntraLase FS60 and Ziemer Femto LDV are able to create flaps without significant adverse effects on the corneal endothelial morphology through 3 months after LASIK surgery.