Axial eye length evaluation before and after myopic photorefractive keratectomy.
OBJECTIVE
To test the accuracy of a new device (IOL Master; Carl Zeiss, Jena, Germany) in detecting axial eye length changes after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK).


METHODS
Pre- and postoperative (1, 3, and 6 months) subjective refraction and axial eye length measurements were performed in 184 consecutive eyes that underwent PRK with the Nidek EC5000 excimer laser (Nidek Technologies, Gamagori, Japan) to treat refractive errors from +0.25 to -16.25 diopters (D) (mean: -5.12 +/- 3.01 D).


RESULTS
The axial eye length measurements ranged from 22.51 to 31.32 mm (mean: 25.61 +/- 1.47 mm) before PRK; from 22.39 to 31.10 mm (mean: 25.48 +/- 1.43 mm) 1 month after PRK; from 23.17 to 31.14 mm (mean: 25.61 +/- 1.36 mm) 3 months after PRK; and from 23.36 to 29.68 mm (mean: 25.58 +/- 1.35 mm) 6 months after PRK. Preoperative and 1-month postoperative data showed a statistically significant difference (P<.001), whereas no significant difference was found between 1 and 3 months (P=.0137) or 3 and 6 months (P=.2422).


CONCLUSIONS
The IOL Master showed a decrease in the axial eye length measurement larger than the theoretical ablation depth and the difference increased as the correction became higher.
Department of Ophthalmology, 2nd University of Naples, Naples, Italy. nicola.rosa@unina2.it
Nicola
N
Rosa
Luigi
L
Capasso
Michele
M
Lanza
Antonio
A
Romano
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000886:Anthropometry; D001837:Body Weights and Measures; D003315:Cornea / Q000601:surgery*; D005123:Eye / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D054018:Lasers, Excimer; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009216:Myopia / Q000601:surgery*; D018903:Photorefractive Keratectomy; D011184:Postoperative Period; D015203:Reproducibility of Results