The Clinical Manifestation of Unilateral Acute Hydrops after Bilateral Laser In Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK)

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: To report a case of a patient who underwent penetrating keratoplasty due to acute hydrops six years after undergoing a bilateral LASIK procedure. METHODS: A 19-year old male patient with -2.75 diopter myopia received a bilateral LASIK operation at a local clinic. Forty-seven months later, -2.00 cyl axis 130o astigmatism was induced in his left eye and additional surgery was performed to correct the LASIK-induced astigmatism. The patient was referred to our hospital 16 months after the secondary operation due to reduced visual acuity in his left eye. He was diagnosed with keratectasia and acute hydrops, and penetrating keratoplasty was performed. RESULTS: The retrospective analysis of the corneal topography prior to the LASIK surgery revealed that the inferior minus superior(I-S) value was 1.25 in the right eye and 1.3 in the left eye. At the time of the first evaluation at out hospital, a slit lamp examination showed an approximate 8 x 7.5mm sized area filled with aqueous humor between the corneal flap and residual stroma, and Descemet's membrane rupture was observed. Furthermore, the histopathological section of the patient's cornea confirmed keratocytes with myxoid degeneration and edematous change. CONCLUSIONS: In young patient, particularly those with suspicious asymptomatic keratoconus, LASIK and further enhancement surgery afterwards should be considered and approached in a cautious and deliberate manner.