Risk factors for early-onset corneal haze after photorefractive keratectomy in an Asian population: Outcomes from the Singapore Armed Forces Corneal Refractive Surgery Programme 2006 to 2013.

PURPOSE: To assess the incidence and risk factors for early corneal haze after myopic photorefractive keratectomy (PRK).

SETTING

Tertiary eye center, Singapore.

DESIGN

Retrospective case series.

METHODS

The refractive results and corneal haze severity 3 months after PRK were analyzed. Eyes were categorized into 4 groups based on haze severity. Multivariate ordinal logistic regression analysis adjusting for age, ethnicity, sex, use of intraoperative mitomycin-C (MMC), preoperative sphere, and preoperative cylinder was performed.

RESULTS

The study reviewed data from 177 patients (347 eyes) with a mean age of 22.6 years ± 4.1 (SD). The majority of the patients were Chinese (98.3%) and men (98.3%). The mean preoperative spherical equivalent (SE) was -3.34 ± 1.19 diopters (D). One hundred thirty-five eyes (38.9%) had PRK with MMC. Ten eyes (2.9%) had enhancement surgery. The overall efficacy index was 0.88 and the safety index was 1.07. At 3 months, 187 eyes (53.9%) had no haze, 76 eyes (21.9%) had a haze grade of more than 0 and less than 1, 76 eyes (21.9%) had a haze grade of 1 or more and less than 2, and 8 eyes (2.3%) had grade 2 haze. Higher degrees of myopia (odds ratio [OR], 1.36; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.13-1.63; P = .001) and astigmatism (OR, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.09-2.24; P = .014) were associated with increased severity of corneal haze, whereas older age (OR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.88-0.99; P = .023) had a protective effect.

CONCLUSION

Myopia and astigmatism were associated with increased severity of haze, and older age was protective against early corneal haze development after PRK in an Asian population.

FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: None of the authors has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.