Refractive Surgery
Conventional, wavefront-guided LASIK achieved similar VA, refractive error

A recent study in the January issue of Acta Ophthalmologica stated that in a comparison of conventional and wavefront-guided LASIK, the physicians achieved similar visual acuities and refractive error outcomes.
Michael O’Keefe, M.D., University College Dublin, Ireland, and Mater Private Hospital, Dublin, and his colleagues were comparing the outcomes of the two methods of LASIK in myopic patients with or without astigmatism.
To do so, they performed a prospective, comparative, contralateral eye study of 68 eyes of 34 patients with similar refractive error in both eyes were included. One eye was randomly selected to undergo conventional and the fellow eye customized ablation.
Dr. O’Keefe said surgery was performed using the Technolas 217z laser (Bausch & Lomb, Surrey, UK).
The mean manifest refractive spherical equivalent (MRSE) treated in the conventional and customized groups were 3.77 ± 1.61 D and −3.83 ± 1.59 D, respectively. Three months postoperatively there was no significant difference between the groups in mean MRSE (P=0.99) or cylinder (P=0.56).
The factor increase in post-op total higher order aberrations (HOAs) was less in the customized (1.32) compared with the conventional (1.54) treatment group but did not reach statistical significance (P=0.08). Scotopic contrast sensitivity decreased significantly postoperatively in the conventional but not in the customized treatment group.
Dr. O’Keefe concluded that the Visual acuity and refractive error outcomes were similar in both vtreatment group and no patient preference was observed. Customized ablation was associated with a smaller but not statistically significant post-op increase in HOAs, better preservation of scotopic contrast sensitivity, quicker treatment time and removal of less corneal tissue.

Source: http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/123241266/
abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0
Reported by: EyeWorld News Services