Recovery of corneal sensitivity after laser-assisted subepithelial keratectomy.

PURPOSE

To evaluate the recovery of corneal sensitivity after laser-assisted subepithelial keratectomy (LASEK) for myopia.

SETTING

Department of Ophthalmology, Eye and ENT Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.

METHODS

In this prospective interventional case series, central corneal sensitivity (CCS) was measured using a Cochet-Bonnet esthesiometer (Luneau Ophthalmologie) in 85 eyes of 50 patients before and 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months after LASEK for the treatment of myopia. For analysis, the eyes were divided into 2 groups-the low-moderate myopia group (spherical equivalent [SE] -1.0 to -6.0 diopters [D]) and the high myopia group (SE -6.0 to -16.0 D)-and the correlation between ablation depth and CCS was evaluated.

RESULTS

In both groups, a significant decrease in CCS was present at 2 weeks and 1 month. In the low-moderate myopia group, the CCS recovered to preoperative values at 3 months. In the high myopia group, recovery of CCS was slower and preoperative values were reached only at the 6-month follow-up. Measured CCS was significantly correlated with the ablation depth used at the 3-month and 6-month examinations (r = -0.262 and r = -0.264, respectively; P<.05).

CONCLUSION

Recovery of corneal sensitivity began 1 month after LASEK and was completed by 3 months in eyes treated for low-moderate myopia and at 6 months in eyes with high myopia. The depth of ablation during surgery affected the recovery of corneal sensitivity.