Excimer laser refractive correction of myopia after episcleral buckling for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the long-term effects of excimer laser treatment for ametropia after surgical treatment of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) with scleral buckles.


METHODS
Helsinki University Eye Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.


METHODS
Ten patients (10 eyes) who had 1 or more surgeries for RRD followed by refractive surgery for myopia were retrospectively enrolled in this study and were examined after excimer laser refractive surgery. Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) or laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) was performed using a Star S2 excimer laser system (Visx). The best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BSCVA), refraction, degree of anisometropia, and topographical changes were evaluated before and after the surgeries.


RESULTS
All patients were free of asthenopic symptoms after refractive surgery. At the end of the follow-up, a mean of 67 months +/- 14 (SD) after refractive surgery, 6 patients were within +/-1.0 diopter of the intended correction. Compared with previously reported cohorts of myopic patients, the achieved refraction in patients who previously had a scleral buckling procedure was worse. The postoperative refraction was stable, and corneal topography did not show induced scar formation, keratectasia, or irregular astigmatism. After refractive surgery, the BSCVA improved 1 Snellen line in 3 patients and 2 lines in 1 patient. One patient lost 1 Snellen line and another patient lost 2 lines. Four patients showed no changes. New retinal complications were not observed.


CONCLUSIONS
In the long-term, PRK and LASIK were safe methods for the treatment of myopia in RRD patients after scleral buckling. The predictability of myopic LASIK/PRK may be worse than generally reported in myopic cohorts.
Holopainen
Juha M
JM
Department of Ophthalmology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. juha.holopainen@hus.fi
Vuori
Elisa
E
Moilanen
Jukka A O
JA
Zalentein
Waldir Neira
WN
Tervo
Timo M T
TM
D000328:Adult; D019781:Corneal Topography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020731:Keratomileusis, Laser In Situ / Q000379:methods*; D054018:Lasers, Excimer; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009216:Myopia / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D018903:Photorefractive Keratectomy / Q000379:methods*; D012029:Refraction, Ocular / Q000502:physiology; D012163:Retinal Detachment / Q000601:surgery*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012591:Scleral Buckling / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology