AIM To study the efficacy of phototherapeutic keratectomy (PTK) for pain relief for patients with painful bullous keratopathy and poor visual potential. METHODS Patients with painful bullous keratopathy and poor visual potential were treated with superficial PTK (8-25 microm), intermediate (50-100 microm) or deep PTK (25% stromal thickness) using the Nidek EC5000 excimer laser after manual ep...

PURPOSE To evaluate the visual outcomes, recurrence patterns, safety, and efficacy of excimer laser phototherapeutic keratectomy (PTK) in conjunction with mitomycin C (MMC) for corneal macular and granular diystrophies. METHODS The patients were divided into two groups. Group 1 included patients with macular corneal dystrophy (MCD) that caused superficial corneal plaque opacities, and Group 2...

Purpose: To discriminate the potential role of corneal shape-factors versus opacily li~ctm’s Ibr lhc linal viwd outcome (II‘ I’ IK using comc:~I topography. Methods : PTK were performed witn a Summit Excimed 200 UV C for the treatment of various comeal conditions in 135 patients including Recurrent Epithelial Erosions (n=41). Band Keratopathy (n=35), Epidemic Kerato-Conjunctivitis (n=l I), S&ma...

Comparison of Combined Transepithelial Phototherapeutic Keratectomy and Mechanical Debridement During Corneal Cross-linking We read with great interest the study by Gaster et al. in the October 2016 issue regarding the comparison of the effect of epithelial removal by transepithelial phototherapeutic keratectomy (PTK) or manual debridement on corneal cross-linking (CXL) for progressive keratoco...

Purpose: To study the effect of phototherapeutic keratectomy (PTK) in the treatment of various superficial corneal pathologies. Methods: We performed a nonrandomized, prospective study on patients who presented with superficial corneal disease and/or poor vision. Fifty eyes were included; recurrent corneal erosion (RCE): 25 eyes, Salzmann’s nodular degeneration: 9 eyes, spheroidal degeneration:...

6.3 μm and 6.5 μm, respectively. We agree that there are limitations to all techniques that measure corneal thickness including the Visante OCT. However, we do not agree with the assertion that the resolution of the system is 12 μm and that standard deviations reported less than this are not valid. Jason E. Stahl, MD Daniel S. Durrie, MD Frank J. Schwendeman, OD Allen J. Boghossian, DO Overland...

AIMS To evaluate the therapeutic effects of excimer laser phototherapeutic keratectomy (PTK) combined with therapeutic contact lens for painful recurrent corneal erosions (RCE) secondary to bullous keratopathy (BK) not suitable for penetrating keratoplasty. METHODS Excimer laser PTK was performed prospectively in eight eyes with painful RCE due to BK visually expecting no benefit from penetra...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the outcome of phototherapeutic keratectomy (PTK) treatment of epithelial basement membrane dystrophy (EBMD) patients and to examine clinical and morphologic signs of recurrent dystrophy. DESIGN Cross-sectional, clinic-based study. PARTICIPANTS Fifty-two eyes of 39 patients diagnosed with EBMD who underwent PTK between 2001 and 2008. METHODS Preoperative symptoms, be...

BACKGROUND The therapeutic mode of the VISX 20/20 excimer laser was used to remove the corneal epithelium prior to performing photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) with a multizone, multipass technique. METHODS A retrospective analysis was performed of 120 eyes of 90 patients that were treated for preoperative spherical refractive errors from -1.00 to -7.00 diopters (D) (mean -3.90 D, SD 1.54) by...

BACKGROUND Patients with endothelial disease also often have scarring or surface corneal disease. This study examined the outcomes of phototherapeutic keratectomy (PTK) performed in patients with prior Descemet's stripping endothelial keratoplasty (DSEK). METHODS This retrospective case series examined all patients undergoing PTK after DSEK in a single private practice. The primary outcome wa...