Eight-year follow-up of photorefractive keratectomy for myopia

Abstract

The authors evaluated the 8-year refractive stability of excimer laser photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) for myopia. Ninety-two eyes myopic eyes of 55 patients were treated with a single-step method using an Aesculap-Meditec MEL 60 excimer laser with a 5.0 mm ablation zone. Treated groups were divided into three groups according to preoperative refraction: low myopes (≤6.00D), medium myopes (−6.10 to −10.00D), and high myopes (>10.00D). Myopic regressions stabilized in all three groups within 12 months, although there was a small myopic shift of −0.42 ± 0.48D for low myopes, −0.37 ± 0.34D for moderate myopes, and −0.41 ± 0.50D for high myopes between 2 and 8 years after PRK. The percentage of eyes within ±1.00D of emmetropia 8 years after PRK was 78.3% in the low myopia group, 68.8% in the moderate myopia group, and 57.1% in the high myopia group. The percentage of eyes with uncorrected visual acuity of 20/40 or better was 78.3%, 62.5%, and 57.1%, respectively.—Michael D. Wagoner