Partial Corneal CXL to Stabilize Hyperopic LASIK Outcomes
Narrative Responses:
Purpose
The purpose was to determine whether or not partial corneal crosslinking would reduce the regression rate post-hyperopic Lasik treatments over a 2 year period without significant side effects.
Methods
Prospectively a consecutive cohort of patients was enrolled. All hyperopic treatments for a range from +1.5 to +6 diopters with a cylinder of -0.25 to -3.25 were included. The initial cohort underwent hyperopic laser refractive surgery only and in the second cohort the laser refractive surgery was combined with partial corneal crosslinking. 16 patients were enrolled in either group. All patients underwent a cycloplegic refraction, topographic and wavefront analysis preoperatively and postoperatively for a minimum of 2 years.
Results
At month 1 there was no statistically significant difference between the groups in vision, refraction or topography. At year 1 the Lasik only group showed a mean refraction of +.6 diopters and topographic flattening of 0.55 diopters compared to a mean refraction of -.05 and stable topography in the group combined with partial crosslinking with a P<0.1. This increased to a difference of mean refraction +1.05 diopters and topography of 0.95 diopters between the groups with P<0.03 at 24 months. Uncorrected reading vision was mean J3 in the Lasik only group and mean J1 in the Lasik/partial crosslinking group with P<0.01.
Conclusion
Partial corneal crosslinking appears to stabilize the hyperopic laser refractive treatment for a period of at least 2 years compared to patients without partial corneal crosslinking.