Advances in Transepithelial Photorefractive Keratectomy versus Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis

(1) Background: Laser-assisted refractive surgery is a safe and effective surgical correction of refractive error. For most patients, both the newer Trans-PRK and the established LASIK technique can produce the required surgical correction, sparking the question of which technique should be opted for. (2) Methods: The study prospectively evaluated 121 patients (230 eyes) for at least one month postoperatively; 66 patients (126 eyes) and 45 patients (85 eyes) returned for 6 months and 1 year follow-up. (3) Results: No statistical difference was recorded at 1 week or 1 month post-operation. At 6 months, a difference was found for spherical diopters (Trans-PRK -0.0476 +/- 0.7012 versus FS-LASIK +0.425 +/- 0.874, p = 0.004) and spherical equivalent (Trans-PRK -0.1994 +/- 0.0294 versus FS-LASIK +0.225 +/- 0.646, p = 0.025) but not for CYL D (Trans-PRK -0.3036 +/- 0.5251 versus FS-LASIK -0.4 +/- 0.820, p = 0.499). Uncorrected visual acuity was better for Trans-PRK 6 months post-operation (UCVA logMAR 0.02523 versus 0.0768 logMAR; p = 0.015 logMAR). At 1-year, Trans-PRK was favored for spherical diopters (Trans-PRK -0.0294 +/- 0.6493 versus FS-LASIK +0.646 +/- 0.909, p < 0.001) and spherical equivalent (Trans-PRK -0.218 +/- 0.784 versus FS-LASIK 0.372 +/- 1.08, p = 0.007). Overall speed in visual recovery, variance of results and surgically induced astigmatism were in favor of Trans-PRK. (4) Conclusions: The study reported improvements for Trans-PRK patients, with both techniques found to be safe and effective.