title: Contralateral-eye study of surface refractive treatments: clinical and confocal microscopy evaluation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the visual and refractive outcomes and the corneal structural changes in myopic patients after surface refractive treatments (ie, photorefractive keratectomy [PRK] with adjuvant mitomycin-C [MMC] and epithelial laser in situ keratomileusis [epi-LASIK]).
  
  
  METHODS
  University of Crete, Heraklion, Crete, Greece.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective comparative case series.
  
  
  METHODS
  One eye of consecutive myopic patients was randomly assigned to PRK-MMC, and the fellow eye was treated with epi-LASIK. Visual and refractive outcomes and corneal confocal microscopy findings were evaluated. All patients were examined preoperatively and 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 months postoperatively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-six eyes (13 patients) were included. The mean follow-up was 2.47 years ± 0.35 (SD) (range 1.64 to 2.93 years). In the PRK-MMC group, the mean preoperative spherical equivalent refraction was -3.84 ± 1.59 diopters (D) (range -1.5 to -8.7 D) and -0.21 ± 0.44 D (range -0.5 to 1.0 D) at the last follow-up and in the epi-LASIK group, -3.91 ± 1.48 D (range -1.5 to -8.5 D) and -0.18 ± 0.36 (range +0.5 to -0.5 D), respectively. Qualitative analysis of the subepithelial nerve plexus, haze development, and keratocyte distribution were similar in the 2 groups. There was no statistically significant difference in endothelial cell density between the groups throughout the follow-up (P>.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Epithelial LASIK and PRK-MMC gave similar visual, refractive, and corneal structural outcomes in patients with myopia for up to 2 years postoperatively.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.
authors.affiliation: From the Institute of Vision and Optics (Diakonis, Kankariya, Kounis, A.I. Pallikaris, I.G. Pallikaris, Kymionis), Department of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece; the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute (Diakonis, Kankariya, Yoo, Kymionis), Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, USA. Electronic address: diakonis@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Vasilios F
authors.initials: VF
authors.lastname: Diakonis
authors.affiliation: From the Institute of Vision and Optics (Diakonis, Kankariya, Kounis, A.I. Pallikaris, I.G. Pallikaris, Kymionis), Department of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece; the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute (Diakonis, Kankariya, Yoo, Kymionis), Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, USA.
authors.forename: Vardhaman P
authors.initials: VP
authors.lastname: Kankariya
authors.affiliation: From the Institute of Vision and Optics (Diakonis, Kankariya, Kounis, A.I. Pallikaris, I.G. Pallikaris, Kymionis), Department of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece; the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute (Diakonis, Kankariya, Yoo, Kymionis), Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, USA.
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kounis
authors.affiliation: From the Institute of Vision and Optics (Diakonis, Kankariya, Kounis, A.I. Pallikaris, I.G. Pallikaris, Kymionis), Department of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece; the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute (Diakonis, Kankariya, Yoo, Kymionis), Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, USA.
authors.forename: Aristophanis I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Pallikaris
authors.affiliation: From the Institute of Vision and Optics (Diakonis, Kankariya, Kounis, A.I. Pallikaris, I.G. Pallikaris, Kymionis), Department of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece; the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute (Diakonis, Kankariya, Yoo, Kymionis), Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, USA.
authors.forename: Sonia H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Yoo
authors.affiliation: From the Institute of Vision and Optics (Diakonis, Kankariya, Kounis, A.I. Pallikaris, I.G. Pallikaris, Kymionis), Department of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece; the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute (Diakonis, Kankariya, Yoo, Kymionis), Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, USA.
authors.forename: Ioannis G
authors.initials: IG
authors.lastname: Pallikaris
authors.affiliation: From the Institute of Vision and Optics (Diakonis, Kankariya, Kounis, A.I. Pallikaris, I.G. Pallikaris, Kymionis), Department of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece; the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute (Diakonis, Kankariya, Yoo, Kymionis), Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, USA.
authors.forename: George D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Kymionis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000477:Alkylating Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002452:Cell Count; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003315:Cornea / Q000294:innervation / Q000473:pathology*; D060527:Corneal Keratocytes / Q000473:pathology; D004728:Endothelium, Corneal / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D020731:Keratomileusis, Laser In Situ; D054018:Lasers, Excimer / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D016685:Mitomycin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D009216:Myopia / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D009882:Ophthalmic Nerve / Q000473:pathology; D018903:Photorefractive Keratectomy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012029:Refraction, Ocular / Q000502:physiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014792:Visual Acuity / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000477:Alkylating Agents; D016685:Mitomycin