Five-year results of laser in-situ keratomileusis (LASIK) after penetrating keratoplasty

Objective: To study the long-term refractive results of LASIK after penetrating keratoplasty. Place: Clinica Barraquer de America. Methods: Retrospective review of 46 eyes of 38 patients that underwent LASIK for the correction of refractive errors after penetrating keratoplasty. Results: The mean interval between keratoplasty and LASIK was 7 years. The preoperative defocus equivalent refraction (DEQ) was 2.0 to 7.0 D in 56% (26/46) of eyes and 8.0 to 24.0 D in the remaining 20 eyes. Five years after LASIK, DEQ was 1.0 to 7.0 D in all eyes. Seventy-five percent of eyes had a refractive error within 2.00 D of emmetropia. Thirty-two percent had uncorrected visual acuity of 20/40 or better, and 59% of eyes gained more than 1 line of best spectacle-corrected visual acuity at 5 years. Vector analysis showed a success index of 60% at 5 years. The refraction in eyes with keratoconus remained stable. Conclusion: LASlK is safe and effective for the correction of refractive errors in eyes that have previously undergone corneal transplantation.