title: Eight-year follow-up of photorefractive keratectomy for myopia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We evaluated 8-year results of excimer laser photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) for myopia in terms of stability and late complications.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety-two myopic eyes of 55 patients were treated with a single-step method using an Aesculap-Meditec MEL 60 excimer laser with a 5.0-mm ablation zone. Treated eyes were divided into three groups according to preoperative refraction: low myopes (< or = -6.00 D), medium myopes (-6.10 to -10.00 D), and high myopes (>-10.00 D).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Change in myopic regression stabilized in all myopia groups within 12 months, although a small myopic shift occurred up to 8 years after PRK. Mean change in refraction between 2 and 8 years was -0.42 +/- 0.48 D for low myopes, -0.37 +/- 0.34 D for medium myopes, and -0.41 +/- 0.50 D for high myopes. The percentage of eyes within +/- 1.00 D of emmetropia 8 years after PRK was 78.3% in the low myopia group, 68.8% in the medium myopia group, and 57.1% in the high myopia group. One eye lost 2 lines of best spectacle-corrected visual acuity due to irregular astigmatism. In 13.0% of eyes, a residual trace corneal haze was observed, which had no effect on visual acuity. Apart from the loss of 2 lines of BSCVA in one eye, there were no other late complications during the study period.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The mean change in refraction between 2 and 8 years was less than -0.50 D, regardless of preoperative refraction, and may be attributed to natural age-related refractive change. The appearance of residual corneal haze after 8 years correlated with the amount of myopic correction. PRK was a safe and stable surgical procedure in this group of patients.
authors.affiliation: Kirurgipalvelu, Hämeenkatu 15 B 4, FIN-33100 Tampere, Finland. Juhani.Pietila@kirurgipalvelu.com
authors.forename: Juhani
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pietilä
authors.forename: Petri
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mäkinen
authors.forename: Tero
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Pajari
authors.forename: Sakari
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Suominen
authors.forename: Juho
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Keski-Nisula
authors.forename: Kalle
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sipilä
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Huhtala
authors.forename: Hannu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Uusitalo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003315:Cornea / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D054018:Lasers, Excimer; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009216:Myopia / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D018903:Photorefractive Keratectomy; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D012029:Refraction, Ocular / Q000502:physiology; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology