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ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To study the safety, efficacy, predictability, and stability of photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) for hyperopia and aphakia.
METHODS: Fifteen eyes of 15 patients (mean age, 33 ± 5.95 yrs) were enrolled in the study and divided into three groups. The first group was comprised of six eyes that had hyperopia ranging from +1.75 to +4.75 D; the second group had seven hyperopic eyes ranging from +5.00 to +9.75 D; the third group included two eyes of two aphakic patients. All eyes had PRK with a 193 nm argon fluoride excimer laser (Chiron-Technolas, Keracor 116) with a 10 Hz repetition rate and a fluence of 120 mJ/cm2. The total follow-up time in all eyes was 12 months.
RESULTS: In the lower hyperopia group, 0% eyes were within ±0.50 D and 66% (N=4) of eyes were within ±1.00 D of emmetropia with the other two eyes between +1.00 and +2.00 D at 1 year after PRK In the higher hyperopia group, all eyes had at least +3.00 D of hyperopia at 1 year. In the aphakic group, both eyes achieved less than 50% of the target correction of +10.00 D at 1 year. Final uncorrected visual acuity ranged from 20/20 to 20/30 in the lower hyperopia group, 20/30 to 20/50 in the higher hyperopia group, and count fingers in the aphakic group.
CONCLUSIONS: PRK is a relatively safe, stable, and effective procedure with reasonably good predictability for eyes with less than +5.00 D of baseline hyperopia, and poor predictability for eyes with more than +5.00 D of baseline hyperopia. PRK is ineffective in the correction of aphakia. [J Refract Surg 1997;13:620-6231
Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) has generated great interest with the introducion of the excimer laser by Trokel.1,2 Photorefractive keratectomy, widely used for the treatment of myopia, is not well studied for the treatment of hyperopia. We investigated the efficacy of PRK in hyperopic and aphakic patients.
PATIENTS AND METHODS
Patient Selection
Fifteen eyes of 15 patients (eight males and seven females) with a mean age of 33 ± 5.95 years were selected. Patients who had anterior segment pathology or were using systemic medications were excluded. Patients were divided into three groups according to refractive error: six eyes were hyperopic ranging from +1.75 to +4.75...