PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - James Myerscough
AU  - Cristina Bovone
AU  - Peter Benjamin Michael Thomas
AU  - Michael Mimouni
AU  - Faisal Aljassar
AU  - Sara Padroni
AU  - Massimo Busin
TI  - Sutureless superficial anterior lamellar keratoplasty for recurrent corneal haze after repeat excimer laser surface ablation
AID  - 10.1136/bjophthalmol-2019-314316
DP  - 2020 Mar 01
TA  - British Journal of Ophthalmology
PG  - 341--344
VI  - 104
IP  - 3
4099  - http://bjo.bmj.com/content/104/3/341.short
4100  - http://bjo.bmj.com/content/104/3/341.full
SO  - Br J Ophthalmol2020 Mar 01; 104
AB  - Background/Aims To evaluate the 5-year outcomes of sutureless superficial anterior lamellar keratoplasty (SALK) in the treatment of surface ablation-related corneal haze recurring after phototherapeutic keratectomy (PTK).Methods Prospective interventional study at a tertiary referral centre in Forli, Italy. Ten consecutive eyes with corneal haze following photorefractive keratectomy, recurring after treatment with PTK with or without mitomycin C, undergoing sutureless SALK. Sutureless SALK was performed using a microkeratome in donor and recipient. Main outcome measures: best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BSCVA), surgically induced astigmatism (SIA), rate of recurrence and complications.Results There were no intraoperative complications and there was no recurrence of haze in any eye postoperatively. BSCVA showed significant improvement at all postoperative time points. Mean preoperative visual acuity improved from 0.46 logMAR units (SD=0.12) to 0.12 (SD=0.12, p=0.0001) at 5 years. At 6 months, SIA was 2.50±1.04 with no further significant change at 5 years (2.53±1.39, p=0.95). There was no significant change in mean spherical equivalent and no significant difference between preoperative and postoperative astigmatism vector values at 5 years.Conclusions Sutureless SALK provides a useful treatment option in patients with recurrent haze after excimer laser treatment. It can eliminate haze recurrence for at least a period of 5 years and can improve BSCVA, although there may be significant SIA.