Hazy days? The refractive outlook of photo-refractive keratectomy/photo-astigmatic keratectomy

The refractive outcome of 100 healthy myopic eyes which had undergone excimer laser (VISX 2020) was evaluated at 6 months post-treatment. Patients were subdivided into Group A (n = 51, < − 5.00 D spherical equivalent(SE)) Group B (n = 38, − 5.00 to < − 10.00 D SE)and Group C (n = 11, > −10.00 D SE). The mean myopic sphere decreased from −2.88 to −0.22DS, −5.94 to −0.43DS and −12.61 to −1.83 DS, respectively. Cylinder reduction ranged from 23 to 53%, effectiveness: decreasing with increasing associated myopia. Sixtysix percent of all subjects attained an SE correction within 1.00 D of that attempted, however, 80% actually achieved vision of 612 or better. At 6 months only six eyes were not within one line of their pre-operative best spectacle visual acuity (BSVA) and four of these exhibited haze greater than Grade 1. In low myopia, photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) appears to be highly successful with 93% of subjects with an initial myopia of > −5.00 D SE obtaining or better vision. However, photo-astigmatic refractive keratectomy (PARK) was variable within all groups.