Iatrogenic cataract after laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis.

PURPOSE: To report a case of corneal opacity and iatrogenic cataract after laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis.

METHOD: Case report. A 44-year-old man was initially seen with a traumatic cataract, corneal stromal opacity, and defect of the endothelium in the right eye after laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis performed by a plastic surgeon who had no ophthalmologic training.

RESULTS

It was speculated that repeated ablations resulted in corneal perforation. We immediately performed phacoemulisification to remove the cataract and to prevent phacolytic glaucoma. However, visual acuity remained 20/200 because of the corneal stromal opacity, and penetrating keratoplasty was performed 2 months later, which improved best-corrected visual acuity to 20/30.

CONCLUSIONS

This case demonstrated that laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis can cause devastating damage to the eye.