title: Corneal wound healing after excimer laser ablation. Effects of nitrogen gas blower.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the effects of blowing nitrogen gas over the cornea during photorefractive keratectomy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Excimer laser ablations for myopia were performed on rabbit corneas with or without the blowing of nitrogen across the surface of the cornea. All eyes underwent a 5-diopter myopic ablation; in 8 eyes, a ring was used to blow nitrogen gas across the cornea, and, in 8 eyes, the same ring was used, but no nitrogen gas was blown.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Epithelial healing occurred more rapidly in the eyes that were not treated with the gas (3.8 +/- 1.3 days) than in the gas-treated group (6.1 +/- 0.8 days; P = 0.0025). Corneal haze was greater in the group treated with gas. Results of histologic examination showed the ablated area to have a smoother surface when nitrogen was not blown across the cornea surface.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Superficial corneal deturgescence produced by the nitrogen gas appears to result in a rougher surface immediately postoperatively with undesirable effects on surface healing, but further studies will be necessary to determine the applicability of these results to humans.
authors.affiliation: Doheny Eye Institute, Los Angeles, CA 90033.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Campos
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Cuevas
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Garbus
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: McDonnell
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003315:Cornea / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D053685:Laser Therapy; D009216:Myopia / Q000601:surgery; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011817:Rabbits; D014945:Wound Healing
chemical_list: D009584:Nitrogen