title: Photorefractive keratectomy for 1.5 to 18 diopters of myopia.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the refractive outcome and the stability of refraction after excimer laser photorefractive keratectomy (PRK). Forty-five eyes were treated in three different refractive groups: low myopes, 23 eyes, -1.50 diopters (D) to -6.00 D; intermediate myopes, 14 eyes, -6.10 D to -10.00 D; and high myopes, 8 eyes, -10.10 D to -18.00 D. At 9 months after surgery the low myopes had a mean refraction of -0.14 D (range -1.00 D to + 1.50 D) and were easy to refract. Intermediate myopes mean refraction was +0.14 D (range -1.50 D to +2.50 D). In the high myope group the mean refraction was -0.47 D (range -10.00 D to +2.50 D) and four eyes (50%) lost more than two lines of spectacle corrected visual acuity. Refraction the high myopes was more difficult compared to the lower myopes. PRK produced good results for myopes from -1.50 D to -10.00 D. Myopes greater than -10.00D are not stable at 9 months after PRK and are difficult to refract.
authors.affiliation: St. Eriks Eye Hospital (Karolinska Institutet), Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hamberg-Nyström
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fagerholm
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sjöholm
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tengroth
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003315:Cornea / Q000502:physiology / Q000601:surgery*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D054018:Lasers, Excimer; D009216:Myopia / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D018903:Photorefractive Keratectomy; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012029:Refraction, Ocular; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology