Effects of Amniotic Membrane after LASEK on Epithelial Healing, Clinical and Refractive Outcomes

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of amniotic membrane (AM) on the outcome of laser subepithelial keratomileusis (LASEK). METHODS: One hundred fifty-two eyes of 84 patients with myopia or myopic astigmatism were evaluated. Following LASEK, AM was placed on the inferior limbus as a strip in 94 eyes of 54 patients. Fifty eight eyes of 30 patients served as control. Postoperative epithelial healing time, uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA), best spectacle corrected visual acuity (BSCVA), manifest refraction and corneal haze were examined in both groups. RESULTS: AM-treated group showed shorter reepithelialization time (2.40 +/- 0.94 days vs 3.90 +/- 0.97 days, p<0.001) after LASEK. At 6 months, 48 eyes (82.8%) and 53 eyes (91.4%) of control group had a UCVA of 20/25 and 20/40 or better respectively. In AM-treated group, 86 eyes (91.5%) had 20/25 or better and 90 eyes (95.7%) had 20/40 or better. Mean spherical equivalents (SE) was 0.480.54 diopter (D) vs -0.94 +/- 0.60D (p<0.001). The corneal haze was significantly less in the AM-treated group than in the control group (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The use of AM after LASEK induced rapid epithelial healing with more favorable visual and refractive outcome and reduced score in corneal haze, compared with conventional LASEK.