title: Trans advanced surface laser ablation (TransPRK) outcomes using SmartPulseTechnology.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate early visual rehabilitation, post-operative pain, epithelial healing and haze after transepithelial photorefractive keratectomy (TransPRK) using the SmartPulseTechnology (SPT) of Schwind Amaris (Schwind eye-tech-solutions GmbH, Kleinostheim, Germany).
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a retrospective comparative evaluation of a cohort of myopic patients undergoing TransPRK with SPT (group 1), with one matched control group that underwent conventional TransPRK (group 2). All cases had a 6-month post-operative follow-up including visual acuity and slit-lamp examination. Subjective evaluation of pain was recorded post-operatively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  49 eyes of 25 patients in group 1 and 40 eyes of 20 patients in group 2 were enrolled. The patients' visual rehabilitation was significantly faster in group 1, one day and one week post-operatively (P<0.05). From one month onward there was no significant difference between the groups. The epithelial defect size was significantly smaller on post-operative days 1 and 2 for group 1 (P<0.05 in both cases). The pain score was also significantly less in group 1 (P<0.05). The haze level had no significant difference between the groups at any post-operative point (P>0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TransPRK using SPT provides promising results in the early post-operative period. Visual rehabilitation, re-epithelialization and pain were faster in the early post-operative period in group 1 in comparison with group 2. Haze formation was not significantly different between the two groups; however, it was consistently less in group 1.
authors.affiliation: Emmetropia Mediterranean Eye Institute, Plateia Eleftherias 44, Heraklion, Crete 71201, Greece. Electronic address: i.aslanides@emmetropia.gr.
authors.forename: Ioannis M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Aslanides
authors.affiliation: Medical School, University of Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: George D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Kymionis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001458:Bandages; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D003261:Contact Lenses; D058447:Eye Pain; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009216:Myopia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D018903:Photorefractive Keratectomy / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000379:methods*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D066167:Slit Lamp; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014792:Visual Acuity
keywords: Refractive surgery; SPT; Smartpulsetechnology; Transprk; Visual rehabilitation