Phototherapeutic keratectomy for recurrent corneal erosions

ABSTRACT Recurrent corneal erosion may be a difficult disorder to treat, with a number of patients suffering persistent symptoms despite conventional therapy. We present a series of 15

patients (17 eyes) who underwent excimer laser phototherapeutic keratectomy (PTK) for recurrent corneal erosion. In 9 patients a previous episode of corneal trauma could be identified, while

in 6 (8 eyes) the problem had occurred spontaneously. The mean duration of symptoms prior to PTK was 13 months (range 6-60 months). All patients had received lubricant ointments, 7 had

tried bandage contact lenses and 4 had undergone epithelial debridement with no amelioration of their symptoms. The affect area of epithelium was removed and a 20-30 pulse (5-7 µm) ablation

was performed to Bowman's membrane. Great care was taken to avoid the edges of treatment zones from encroaching on the axial cornea. In 11 patients (13 eyes) there was a marked

improvement in symptoms post-operatively with no recurrences. The mean follow-up was 11 months (range 6-24 months). Four patients experienced recurrent episodes 3-6 months after PTK and 2

have subsequently been retreated, 1 of whom has been symptom-free for 12 months. Post-operative best corrected visual acuity was unaltered in 9 eyes and improved by at least one Snellen line

in 8 eyes. Excimer laser PTK appears to be a safe and promising procedure for recurrent corneal erosion in cases refractory to medical treatment. Further studies are indicated to compare

its effectiveness with established surgical procedures. SIMILAR CONTENT BEING VIEWED BY OTHERS SURGICAL OUTCOMES OF RE-EXCIMER LASER PHOTOTHERAPEUTIC KERATECTOMY (RE-PTK) Article Open access

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INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * London David P S O'Brart, Malcolm G Kerr Muir & John Marshall Authors * David P S O'Brart View author publications You can also search

for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Malcolm G Kerr Muir View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * John Marshall View author publications

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Phototherapeutic keratectomy for recurrent corneal erosions. _Eye_ 8, 378–383 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1038/eye.1994.90 Download citation * Issue Date: 01 July 1994 * DOI:

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available for this article. Copy to clipboard Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative KEYWORDS * Excimer laser * Recurrent erosion