Femtosecond laser-assisted sutureless anterior lamellar keratoplasty for superficial corneal opacities.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the visual and refractive outcomes, endothelial cell count (ECC), ocular surface changes, corneal aberrations, and biomechanical profile changes after femtosecond laser-assisted anterior lamellar keratoplasty surgery for superficial corneal scars.

SETTING

Farabi Eye Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

DESIGN

Prospective case series.

METHODS

Patients with superficial corneal scars had femtosecond laser-assisted anterior lamellar keratoplasty. Visual and refractive results, ECC, ocular surface changes, corneal aberrations, and biomechanical profiles were assessed preoperatively and for 1 year postoperatively.

RESULTS

Nineteen eyes (19 patients) were evaluated. A significant decline occurred in refractive astigmatism and corneal astigmatism after 1 year. There was a nonsignificant reduction in corneal hysteresis and the corneal resistance factor from preoperatively to 1 year postoperatively. The corneal-compensated intraocular pressure (IOP) and Goldmann-correlated IOP increased during the follow-up; the increase was not significant. A statistically insignificant reduction in the root mean square for trefoil and spherical aberrations occurred between 1 month and 1 year postoperatively (P=.1 and P=.4, respectively). The decreases in primary coma and total higher-order aberrations approached significance (P=.08 and P=.07, respectively). There were no significant changes in the central corneal thickness, ECC, or ocular surface parameters. No intraoperative complications occurred.

CONCLUSION

Femtosecond laser-assisted anterior lamellar keratoplasty was an efficient and safe procedure for improving the quality of vision in patients with anterior corneal pathology, and the results remained stable during the 1-year follow-up.

FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.