ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of the amount of myopic correction on long-term changes in higher-order wavefront aberrations (HOAs) in advanced surface ablation-photorefractive keratectomy (ASA-PRK). METHODS: The 193 eyes of 101 patients who underwent ASA-PRK were divided into two groups according to the amount of myopic correction by the median value (Group 1 -4.37D, 96 eyes, mean -5.77 +/- 1.00D). Wavefront aberrometry was performed to measure total HOA, coma, trefoil, and spherical aberration preoperatively and at 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 months after ASA-PRK. Statistical analysis was performed to compare changes in all HOAs between the two groups. RESULTS: Each magnitude of total HOA, coma, and spherical aberration except trefoil significantly increased at 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 months postoperatively in each group (p -4.37D). Increases in ASA-PRK-induced HOAs primarily originated from short-term changes in the postoperative one-month period and did not return to the preoperative level during the postoperative two-year period.