Corneal Keratocyte Deficit After Photorefractive Keratectomy and Laer In itu Keratomileui Original Reearch Article

Purpoe To meaure change in keratocyte denity up to five year after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) and laer in itu keratomileui (LAIK). Deign Propective, nonrandomized clinical trial. Method Eighteen eye of 12 patient received PRK to correct a mean refractive error of −3.73 ± 1.30 diopter, and 17 eye of 11 patient received LAIK to correct a mean refractive error of −6.56 ± 2.44 diopter. Cornea were examined by uing confocal microcopy before and ix month, one year, two year, three year, and five year after the procedure. Keratocyte denitie were determined in five tromal layer in PRK patient and in ix tromal layer in LAIK patient. Difference between preoperative and potoperative cell denitie were compared by uing paired t tet with Bonferroni correction for five comparion. Reult After PRK, keratocyte denity in the anterior troma decreaed by 40%, 42%, 45%, and 47% at ix month, two year, three year, and five year, repectively (P < .001). At five year, keratocyte denity decreaed by 20% to 24% in the poterior troma (P < .05). After LAIK, keratocyte denity in the tromal flap decreaed by 22% at ix month (P < .02) and 37% at five year (P < .001). Keratocyte denity in the anterior retroablation zone decreaed by 18% (P < .001) at one year and 42% (P < .001) at five year. At five year, keratocyte denity decreaed by 19% to 22% (P < .05) in the poterior troma. Concluion Keratocyte denity decreae for at leat five year in the anterior troma after PRK and in the tromal flap and the retroablation zone after LAIK.