Excimer Laser Photorefractive Keratectomy For Hyperopia

After its positive results in myopia, Excimer laser photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) has been shown to be a very effective method in treating refractive errors.

Despite the fact that hyperopic correction tend to be more challenging due to short axial lengths, small cornea diameter and narrow anterior chamber, an evaluation of the efficacy, the stability, the predictability and safety of excimer laser PRK in the treatment of hyperopia has been prospectively made

35 hyperopic eyes were treated with a TENEO 317 excimer laser, divided into two groups ; low-moderate hyperopia, baseline spherical equivalent refraction between + 1.00 and +5.00 diopters (30 eyes), and high hyperopia between + 5.25 and + 7.25D (5 eyes). The follow up visits occured 1, 3 and 6 months after surgery.

A 6 months results were available for all the patients (100%) : 6 months after PRK in the low-moderate group, 5 eyes (14%) had a refractive error within +/- 1.00 D of emmetropia, and 2 eyes (5%) were within +/- 1.00 D of emmetropia in the high hyperopia group ; 4 eyes (11%) and 1 eye (3%) were within +/- 0.50 D, respectively.

The stability of the refractive change was almost the same in both the low to moderate hyperopia group and the high hyperopia group.

16 eyes in the low-moderate hyperopia group and 2 eye in the high hyperopia group saw 10/10 without correction. Only three eyes lost two lines of spectacle-corrected visual acuity.

No Haze or vision-threatening complications were observed.

Excimer laser PRK has proven both safety and efficacy in its treatment in low-moderate and high hyperopia, with a 6 months refraction stability in most eyes. Nevertheless, PRK is not sufficient to treat high hyperopia in an effective and predictable way.