Epithelial ingrowth after laser in situ keratomileusis: clinical features and possible mechanisms
Section snippets
Design
This study was an interventional case series of patients with epthelial ingrowth occurring after LASIK.
Patients
Four thousand eight hundred sixty-seven eyes of 2,502 patients (1,452 male and 1,050 female; average age 34.5 ± 9.0 [SEM] years), who underwent myopic LASIK from May 1998 to March 2001 at Minamiaoyama Eye Clinic, were included in this study. The mean attempted correction was −6.08 ± 2.58 diopters. Sixty-four eyes (1.3%) of 54 patients (33 male and 21 female, average age 38.6 ± 9.0 [SEM] years) developed epithelial ingrowth. The slit-lamp examination findings, type of microkeratome used, and
Microkeratomes and flap thickness
Epithelial ingrowth was diagnosed in 30 eyes (0.94%) of the LSK-One group (3,187 eyes) and 34 eyes (2.0%) in the MK-2000 group (1,680 eyes). The frequency of epithelial ingrowth in the MK-2000 group was significantly higher than that in the LSK-One group (P = .001). When the incidence of epithelial ingrowth was compared among different types of heads, it was found that heads with lower estimated thicknesses were more likely to develop epithelial ingrowth (Table 1).
The corneal flap was
Discussion
The incidence of epithelial ingrowth after LASIK in the present study was 1.31%. Epithelial ingrowth was diagnosed within 1 month in 79% of eyes. These results are consistent with previous reports.2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Epithelial ingrowth mainly developed near the corneal flap margin, most often at the temporal edge.
Many findings were observed before the epithelial ingrowth. A loose epithelial layer or epithelial defect was detected significantly more often in cases with epithelial ingrowth than in
Acknowledgements
The authors thank Mrs. Chikako Sakai, Minamiaoyama Eye Clinic, for her help with statistical data analysis, and Yoshihisa Oguchi, MD, Department of Ophthalmology, Keio University School of Medicine, for supervising the electron microscopic observation.
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2024, American Journal of Ophthalmology Case ReportsDisruption of ingrown epithelium via Nd:YAG laser or DIEYAG. A retrospective case series of Post-LASIK patients
2021, American Journal of Ophthalmology Case ReportsCitation Excerpt :Thus, ingrowth is proposed to stem from poor adherence of the flap edge allowing epithelial cells to invade the lamellar surface.5,12,13 Only a small percentage of patients with epithelial ingrowth require surgical treatment, as epithelial growth in the corneal interface following LASIK is in most cases self-limiting.9,10,14–17 Surgical intervention is aimed at removing the existing cells in the interface and sealing the interface surface and resection edge to prevent further ingrowth.17
Usefulness of bandage contact lenses in the immediate postoperative period after uneventful myopic LASIK
2018, Contact Lens and Anterior EyeComparison of 5468 retreatments after laser in situ keratomileusis by lifting the flap or performing photorefractive keratectomy on the flap
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