Analysis Of The Characteristics Of Postoperative Epithelial Remodeling In Corneal Topography-Guided Fs-Lasik Correction Of Irregular Cornea

Observing the characteristics of corneal epithelial thickness changes in patients with irregular cornea underwent femtosecond laser assisted in situ keratomileusis (FS-LASIK) guided by corneal topography.

After laser corneal refractive surgery, the corneal epithelium undergoes remodeling effects, which may affect the stability of postoperative outcomes, thus attracting increasing attention from clinical physicians.This article analyzed the changes in epithelial thickness in different areas of the cornea after FS-LASIK surgery guided by corneal topography.

Retrospective clinical research. 21 patients (42 eyes) who underwent corneal topography-guided FS-LASIK surgery at Chongqing Baiji Ophthalmology from September 2021 to September 2022 were included. Preoperative clinical data were collected, including age, visual acuity, spherical equivalent (SE), intraocular pressure (IOP), white to white (WTW), central corneal thickness (CCT), and corneal epithelial thickness. Analyze the characteristics of corneal epithelial thickness of patients at 1 week, 1 month, and 3 months after surgery.

A total of 21 cases were enrolled according to the inclusion criteria and follow-up results. The age was 31.62 ± 5.04 years old, SE was -6.82±1.44 D, IOP was 15.68±1.37 mmHg,  and CCT was 537.40±26.26 μm. Compared with preoperative, the corneal epithelial thickness increased of different degrees after surgery, and the most significant difference was observed at 1 week (P<0.05). Compared with 1 week, the epithelial thickness decreased at 1 month (P<0.05). Compared with 1 month, the epithelial thickness decreased at 3 months, and there was no significant difference in 2-5 mm at temporal, temporal inferior, inferior, and nasal inferior (P>0.05), while the decrease in 5-7 mm showed significant differences in all directions (P<0.05).

Corneal topography-guided FS-LASIK surgery showed varying degrees of corneal epithelial remodeling in the early postoperative period, with the most significant changes at 1 week. Corneal epithelial thickness showed a decreasing trend at 1 month and 3 months. At 3 months, there was still significant epithelial remodeling in 2-5mm at temporal, temporal inferior, inferior, nasal inferior and nasal.