Clinical Research Directory

Visual and Refractive Outcomes Following Stream Light Photorefractive Keratectomy (55μm Epithelial Removal) Versus Conventional Photorefractive Keratectomy

Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) is a well-established corneal refractive surgery that involves epithelial removal followed by stromal ablation to correct myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. The method of epithelial removal in PRK significantly impacts healing, pain levels, and visual outcomes. Trans-epithelial PRK (StreamLight) performed on the EX500 excimer laser platform removes the epithelium and reshapes the corneal stroma in a single laser-guided step, potentially reducing tissue manipulation and enhancing epithelial healing. In contrast, manual epithelial removal PRK involves mechanical debridement, with epithelial removal depth being manually controlled. The variability of epithelial thickness in StreamLight PRK may influence visual outcomes, whereas in manual PRK, a fixed epithelial removal depth of 55 microns provides a standardized approach.

A Comparative Study Between Laser and Manual Removal of Corneal Epithelium for Photorefractive Keratectomy

Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) is a laser eye surgery used to ablate the corneal stroma to correct visual refractive errors . PRK was developed in 1983 by Dr. Steven Trokel and colleagues and first performed in 1987 by Dr. Theo Seiler in Berlin. After receiving approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1996, PRK was briefly the preferred surgical treatment of ametropia as it provided more predictable and stable results than incisional keratotomy. However, the number of PRK procedures fell in the late 1990s with the growing popularity of laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK). The study aims to compare the visual and refractive outcomes along with the pain score and patient satisfaction after photorefractive keratectomy in patients who underwent transepithelial or mechanical removal technique