AIMS To further understand the morphological and functional recovery of corneal epithelium following excimer laser photorefractive keratectomy (PRK). METHODS The right eyes (group 1) of 15 male, New Zealand white rabbits weighing 2-3 kg underwent PRK. The left eye of each rabbit (group 2) underwent simple mechanical de-epithelialisation and were examined as treated controls. Both eyes of anot...

PURPOSE To evaluate epithelial healing, postoperative pain, and best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BSCVA) after transepithelial photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) performed with a new phototherapeutic keratectomy (PTK) mode using the NIDEK CXIII excimer laser. METHODS Fifteen eyes from 10 patients with myopia underwent transepithelial PRK using a multistage program to perform PTK followed...

PURPOSE To evaluate the feasibility of autologous transplantation in a rabbit model of conjunctival epithelial cells cultured on amniotic membrane for ocular surface reconstruction. METHODS Limbal stem cell deficiency was induced in the right eyes of 30 rabbits. This was done by performing a lamellar keratectomy of the entire cornea and a complete removal of the limbus and conjunctiva, extend...

Recurrent corneal erosion (RCE) is a common ocular disorder resulting in repeated episodes of pain, tearing, redness, and photophobia, especially in the morning. It is frequently associated with anterior stromal dystrophies, epithelial basement membrane dystrophy, or trauma to the corneal surface, but RCE may also spontaneously occur without any predisposing factor [1,2]. The conservative treat...

PURPOSE To determine the expression of gelatinases A and B and the localization of tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1 and TIMP-2 during the early stages of corneal wound healing in rats. METHODS. One eye each of 30 adult Sprague-Dawley rats was treated with excimer laser keratectomy; the other eye was untreated. Frozen sections of corneas obtained 6, 18, and 24 hours and 3 and 7 da...

PURPOSE To compare the effectiveness, safety and stability of the results of transepithelial photorefractive keratectomy (tPRK) with conventional photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) for low to moderate myopia. METHODS In this prospective non-randomized case-control study, patients with low to moderate myopia were assigned to the tPRK group (cases) or the PRK group (controls). In the tPRK group,...

PURPOSE To determine the anatomic cleavage plane of the corneal epithelial adhesion complex in eyes with traumatic recurrent corneal erosion (RCE). METHODS A loosened sheet of corneal epithelium was obtained from corneal epithelial wounds in eight patients with traumatic RCE, before each patient underwent phototherapeutic keratectomy. Three control groups were employed in the study, including...

AIM To determine the relation between epithelial hyperplasia and regression of effect after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK). METHODS Seventy unilaterally treated patients with PRK were examined. All eyes had been treated with the Summit excimer laser 27 (SD 7) months previously with zone diameters of 4.1 to 5.0 mm. The untreated fellow eyes served as controls. Epithelial thickness was measu...

PURPOSE To report a case of excimer laser photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) in a patient with epithelial basement membrane dystrophy (EBMD). METHODS Interventional case report. RESULTS A 36-year-old male with clinical manifestations of EBMD underwent bilateral, simultaneous PRK for low myopia correction. A delay (up to 17 days) in the epithelial healing process with unstable epithelium was ...