A new long-term study has found that PRK does not appear to cause retinal detachment or other vitreo-retinal complications.
The retrospective study followed 455 eyes that underwent photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) for a period of up to nine years after surgery.
Carole Liernur, MD, presented the results of the study at the annual meeting of the European Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons (ESCRS) held last week in Barcelona, Spain.
Prior to PRK, all eyes were myopic, ranging from -1.00 to -10.00 diopters (D) of nearsightedness. In all cases, the PRK procedure was performed with a Nidek 5000 excimer laser.
No patients experienced a detached retina during the follow-up period, and only one patient complained of floaters in one eye. This single case of vitreous floaters was most likely related to the natural history of myopia in this patient rather than the PRK procedure, Dr. Liernur said.
PRK eliminates one LASIK risk
Some clinical studies have reported retinal detachment as an infrequent complication of LASIK eye surgery, especially in patients with high myopia. This study set out to determine if PRK has the same LASIK risks for vitreo-retinal complications (affecting the vitreous and/or retina in the back of the eye).
Since no LASIK-style corneal flap is created during PRK, no suction device is attached to the eye to hold it still for this step. The suction device used in LASIK increases the pressure inside the eye, and when the device is removed after the flap has been created, the internal eye pressure quickly returns to normal.
This significant and sudden change in internal eye pressure may weaken the retina in susceptible individuals, increasing the risk for a retinal detachment during or after LASIK.
This study appears to support the belief that PRK does not pose the same risk of vitreo-retinal complications.
Dr. Liernur also said that risks associated with PRK surgery — specifically, corneal haze and post-operative discomfort — can be alleviated with new surgical techniques and topical pain medications.
SOURCE: No vitreoretinal complications reported after PRK in long-term case series. Ocular Surgery News website (OSNsupersite.com). September 21, 2009.
Tags: complications, myopia