title: Tear menisci and corneal subbasal nerve density in patients after laser in situ keratomileusis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the relationship between tear menisci and corneal nerve density in patients after laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK).
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-eight eyes of 14 myopic patients were enrolled. Height and area of the upper and lower tear menisci--upper tear meniscus height, upper tear meniscus area, lower tear meniscus height (LTMH), and lower tear meniscus area (LTMA)--were measured by spectral domain optical coherence tomography before surgery, 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months after surgery. Central, temporal, and nasal corneal nerve densities were measured by confocal microscopy before surgery, 1 month, and 3 months after surgery.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After surgery, LTMH and LTMA increased significantly from 1 week to 1 month (P=0.009 and =0.011, respectively) and 1 month to 3 months (P=0.003 and =0.039, respectively); temporal and nasal nerve densities increased significantly from 1 month to 3 months (P<0.001, P=0.016, respectively). Lower tear meniscus area was significantly correlated with central and nasal nerve densities at 1 month (R=0.478 and 0.46, P=0.01 and 0.014, respectively), whereas LTMH and LTMA at 3 months were significantly correlated with central nerve density at 1 month (R=0.449 and 0.608, P=0.017 and 0.001, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lower tear menisci and peripheral corneal nerves recovered continually after LASIK during the early stage. However, tear volume might depend on residual central corneal nerves at 1 month, rather than on corneal nerve recovery.
authors.affiliation: School of Ophthalmology and Optometry, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Wenjia
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Qimin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Ye
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Jia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Fan
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003315:Cornea / Q000294:innervation* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020731:Keratomileusis, Laser In Situ / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D009216:Myopia / Q000601:surgery; D013666:Tears / Q000502:physiology*; D041623:Tomography, Optical Coherence; D055815:Young Adult