Recurrent rates and risk factors associated with recurrent painful bullous keratopathy after primary phototherapeutic keratectomy

OBJECTIVE: To assess the recurrent rate, mean survival time, and risk factors associated with recurrent painful bullous keratopathy (BK) after primary treatment with phototherapeutic keratectomy. METHODS: Medical records from 72 patients (72 eyes) who had phototherapeutic keratectomy for painful BK were evaluated. Data for sex, age, duration of BK, associated ocular and systemic diseases (hypertension, diabetes mellitus, ischemic heart disease, asthma, dyslipidemia, and rheumatoid arthritis), frequency and degree of pain (grade 1–3), visual acuity, corneal thickness, intraocular pressure, and laser setting were extracted and analyzed. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 64.2±11.4 years. The mean preoperative duration of BK was 15.0±11.0 months. Most patients had pseudophakic BK (69.40%). Majority of the cases had grade 3 degree of pain (48.60%). Glaucoma and hypertension were markedly found among these patients (51.40% and 19.40%, respectively). Preoperative mean intraocular pressure and corneal thickness were 13.70±4.95 mmHg and 734.1±83.80 µm, respectively. The mean laser diameter and depth were 8.36±1.22 mm and 38.89±8.81 µm, respectively. Systemic disease was significantly associated with the risk for developing recurrent painful BK (P=0.022, hazard ratio [HR] 1.673, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.08–2.58). The overall recurrent rate was 51%. The average duration time of recurrent painful BK was 17.3±12.9 months (range 1–50 months). The median survival time before recurrence was 29.0±6.6 months. CONCLUSION: Systemic disease was found to be the only risk factor significantly associated with the development of recurrent painful BK. Low recurrent rate and long mean survival time showed that phototherapeutic keratectomy was effective in relieving recurrent painful BK and can be used as an alternative procedure for patients waiting for corneal transplantation.