CORNEAL EPITHELIAL AND STROMAL CHANGES AFTER MYOPIC PHOTOREFRACTIVE KERATECTOMY

Document Type : Original articles: include clinical trials, interventional research, Basic researches and clinically relevant laboratory investigations

Authors

Ophthalmology dept., Faculty of Medicine, Sohag Univ., Sohag, Egypt

Abstract

Purpose: to evaluate the corneal epithelial and stromal Changes after myopic photorefractive
keratectomy (PRK)
Patient and methods: The study was established in Sohag Refractive Center,
Sohag, Egypt, from October 2017 till November 2018. It included 50 eyes of 28 patients with age
range from 20 to 40 years old who subjected to PRK for the correction of myopia or compound
myopic astigmatism. AS-OCT (Avanti - Optovue Taiwan) and corneal topography using Sirius Scheimpflug Placido topography (CSO, Florence, Italy) were done for all eyes pre and post-myopic
photorefractive keratectomy (PRK).
Results: The study was conducted on 50 eyes of 28 patients, 6
were operated on uniocular. 24 eyes were for females (48 %) and 26 eyes were for males (52 %)
with their mean age 28.12 ± 6.22. the study showed a generalized pattern of decreased epithelial
thickness in the period of the 1
st month after performing PRK with significant P value for repeated
measures over 6 months for all parts of the cornea except for the superior part which was not
statistically significant. As regards the stromal thickness, the study showed a generalized pattern of
decrease of the stromal thickness among the 6 months period after performing PRK.
Conclusion:
Epithelial thickness showed a decrease of thickness mainly in the central part except the superior
part which was relatively the thickest. As regards the stromal thickness, all corneal showed significant change of stromal thickness after 1 month of PRK except the central part


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