Comparison of Corneal Haze according to the Success of Corneal Epithelial Flap after Laser Subepithelial Keratomileusis

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: This present study aims at comparing the degree of corneal opacity after LASEK according to the status of corneal epithelial flap in myopia of low, moderate and high myopic patients. METHODS: In this study, 75 eyes of 39 patients treated with LASEK were examined during three months. We subdivided into three groups which were high myopia(>or=-6 diopter), moderate myopia(>or=-3 diopter, <-6 diopter), and low myopia(<-3 diopter) group. The corneal epithelial flap was classified into good, moderate, and poor flap according to the state after repositioning epithelium, also the corneal opacity was described by Fantes classification and measured at post-LASEK one, three day, one week, one month, and three months. RESULTS: The 10 eyes of 12 eyes with poor corneal flap had corneal opacity of grade 1 and over at 1 month. The corneal opacity of four eyes among them improved less than trace at 3 months. The degree of corneal opacity by corneal epithelial flap had a significant difference in low and moderate myopic groups at first month after the surgery. The more the myopic degree was, the more the degree of corneal opacity was. CONCLUSIONS: The degree of corneal opacity was affected by the status of corneal epithelial flap. Therefore, careful managements of epithelial flap were needed during LASEK.