title: Traumatic corneal flap dislocation one to six years after LASIK in nine eyes with a favorable outcome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To report our experience treating eye trauma after LASIK refractive surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nine eyes of eight patients (one woman and seven men) were treated for ocular trauma: blunt trauma (n=5), sharp instrument trauma (n=2,) and trauma from inflation of automobile air bags during a traffic accident (n=2). The time from LASIK varied between 3 months and 6 years. All patients were hospitalized as a result of severe decrease in visual acuity and pain.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seven of nine LASIK flaps had some degree of dislocation and were lifted, irrigated, and repositioned. Two flaps were edematous without dislocation. Intensive topical steroids and antibiotics were used in all patients up to 3 weeks after trauma. Three months after trauma, five eyes regained their pre-trauma visual acuity (between 20/20 and 20/40), and three eyes lost one line of best spectacle-corrected visual acuity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Trauma occurring several months or years after LASIK may cause flap injury. Adequate and prompt treatment usually is successful.
authors.affiliation: Cornea and Refractive Surgery Unit, Dept of Ophthalmology, Hadassah University Hospital, P.O.B. 12000, Jerusalem 91120, Israel. dvl_eyes@netvision.net.il
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Landau
authors.forename: Jaime
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Levy
authors.forename: Avraham
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Solomon
authors.forename: Tova
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lifshitz
authors.forename: Fiek
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Orucov
authors.forename: Eyal
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Strassman
authors.forename: Josef
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Frucht-Pery
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D065306:Corneal Injuries; D005131:Eye Injuries / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020731:Keratomileusis, Laser In Situ; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012086:Reoperation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013524:Surgical Flaps / Q000473:pathology*; D013529:Surgical Wound Dehiscence / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery; D014792:Visual Acuity; D014949:Wounds, Nonpenetrating / Q000150:complications*