Recovery of Corneal Subbasal Nerve Density After PRK and LASIK
Severing the corneal nerves during refractive surgery may have short- or long-term effects on the health of the cornea. Erie et al. measured and compared the return of corneal innervation up to five years after PRK and LASIK in a prospective, nonrandomized clinical trial.
Eighteen eyes of 12 patients received PRK to correct a mean refractive error of –3.73, and 16 eyes of 11 patients received LASIK to correct a mean refractive error of –6.56. Corneas were examined by confocal microscopy before and at one, two, three and five years after the procedures. Subbasal nerve fiber bundles were measured to determine density (visible length of nerve/frame area) and were expressed as micrometers
per square millimeter.
After PRK, mean subbasal nerve density was reduced by 59 percent at one year when compared with preoperative density. By two years, subbasal nerve density was not significantly different from density before PRK and remained unchanged to five years. After LASIK, subbasal nerve density was reduced by 51 percent, 35 percent and 34 percent at one, two and three years, respectively. By five years, subbasal nerves had returned to densities that were not significantly different from densities before LASIK.
Corneal subbasal nerve density does not seem to recover to near-preoperative densities until five years after LASIK, as compared with two years after PRK.
Eighteen eyes of 12 patients received PRK to correct a mean refractive error of –3.73, and 16 eyes of 11 patients received LASIK to correct a mean refractive error of –6.56. Corneas were examined by confocal microscopy before and at one, two, three and five years after the procedures. Subbasal nerve fiber bundles were measured to determine density (visible length of nerve/frame area) and were expressed as micrometers
per square millimeter.
After PRK, mean subbasal nerve density was reduced by 59 percent at one year when compared with preoperative density. By two years, subbasal nerve density was not significantly different from density before PRK and remained unchanged to five years. After LASIK, subbasal nerve density was reduced by 51 percent, 35 percent and 34 percent at one, two and three years, respectively. By five years, subbasal nerves had returned to densities that were not significantly different from densities before LASIK.
Corneal subbasal nerve density does not seem to recover to near-preoperative densities until five years after LASIK, as compared with two years after PRK.
2 comments:
How long does it usually take for Recovery of Corneal Subbasal Nerve Density After PRK and LASIK?
What are we supposed to after PEK? for faster recovery.
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