Complications of Laser in situ Keratomileusis in treatment of myopia

Abstract

The concept of lamellar refractive surgery was introduced by Jose

Barraquer almost half a century ago.

Laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK ) which means the use of microkeratome to make a corneal flap that gives access to the corneal stroma combined with ablation of the exposed stromal bed with an excimer laser has become for many corneal surgeons the technique of choice to correct moderate and high of myopia . 1 LASIK has an acceptable level of safety and efficacy for treatment of myopia . The outcome of LASIK appear to be comparable to those of photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) for low myopia and superior to those of both PRK and automated lamellar keratoplasty ( ALK) for treatment of high myopi. a. 2

LASIK has been considered as a novel laser refractive surgical procedure. The investigators have suggested potential advantages including, more rapid return of the spectacle corrected visual acuity and less influence of corneal wound healing on the postoperative course.' The majority of LASIK complications occur intraoperatively. Postoperative complications are almost always related to events that occurred during surgery. Many complications unique to LASIK are microkeratome related. With the improvement in microkeratome technology, the incidence of LASIK complications has been substantially reduced and may decrease further as instrumentaions become more sophisticated . 4