Minimally invasive radial keratotomy: mini-RK.

Radial keratotomy (RK) is a common surgical technique for correcting myopia. The RK incisions, like any corneal incisions, permanently weaken the cornea and this structural weakening can cause several complications and side effects, including diurnal fluctuation, progressive hyperopic shift, and the potential for traumatic rupture of the keratotomy scars. I describe a new technique--minimally invasive RK (mini-RK)--that reduces the millimeters of cornea incised and present preliminary laboratory and clinical results. In a cadaver eye study, eight short, deep incisions extending from the 3.0 mm optical zone to the 7.0 mm optical zone produced 92% of the efficacy of full-length incisions to the 11.0 mm optical zone. This finding was confirmed by intraoperative surgical keratometry in six patients in whom a 1% increase in central corneal flattening was achieved when incisions were extended from the mini-RK configurations to full length. In a retrospective evaluation of 100 patients with -1.0 to -6.0 diopters (D) of myopia, 92% of eyes were within 1.0 D of emmetropia and 94% had 20/40 or better uncorrected visual acuity. No significant complications were encountered. Mini-RK may be a useful alternative to reduce the invasiveness of RK but retain its efficacy in eyes with low to moderate myopia.