Femtosecond laser versus mechanical keratome LASIK for myopia.

Ophthalmology. 2007 Jan;114(1):62-8. Epub 2006 Oct 27.

• Montes-Mico R,
• Rodriguez-Galietero A,
• Alio JL.

Optics Department, Faculty of Physics, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain. roberto.montes@uv.es

OBJECTIVE: To assess efficacy, safety, predictability, stability, and changes in corneal higher-order aberrations (CHOAs) and contrast sensitivity (CS) after a femtosecond laser for LASIK and standard LASIK for myopia. DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, comparative clinical study. PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred eyes of 100 consecutive patients who underwent LASIK treatment using the VISX S2 laser system. A femtosecond laser for flap creation was used in 100 eyes (50 patients; spherical equivalent [SE], -2.85+/-1.79 diopters [D]), and a mechanical microkeratome was used in 100 eyes (50 patients; SE, -2.90+/-1.63 D). METHODS: Uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA), best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BSCVA), manifest refraction, CS by means of the Functional Acuity Contrast Test, and CHOAs by means of custom software linked to topography were evaluated preoperatively and 6 months after treatment. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Efficacy, safety, predictability, stability, CHOAs, and CS were evaluated before and after surgery at 6 months' follow-up. RESULTS: At 6 months postoperatively, UCVA was 1.0 or better in 100% of the eyes. Efficacy indexes were 1.07 for the femtosecond laser for LASIK patients and 1.00 for LASIK patients. No eye lost > or =1 lines of BCVA; for the femtosecond laser for LASIK group, 24 eyes gained 1 line, and 18 eyes gained > or =2 lines; for the LASIK group, 18 eyes gained 1 line. The femtosecond laser for LASIK group showed a percentage of eyes (98%) within the 0.5-D range in SE higher than that of the LASIK group (92%). For a 3.5-mm pupil, CHOAs' root-mean-square (RMS) increased for both the femtosecond laser for LASIK (2.21-fold) and LASIK (2.81-fold) groups. For a 6-mm pupil, CHOA RMSs were increased significantly after femtosecond laser for LASIK (4.18-fold) and LASIK (5.07-fold) surgeries (P<0.01).>

PMID: 17070593 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]