Subconjunctival gas bubble formation during LASIK flap creation using femtosecond laser

PURPOSE: To report a patient who developed subconjunctival gas bubble formation during creation of a LASIK corneal flap with the IntraLase femtosecond laser. METHODS: Case report of a 19-year-old-man with compound myopic astigmatism and a normal preoperative evaluation who underwent bilateral simultaneous LASIK RESULTS: The IntraLase FS15 was used to create an 8.8-mm diameter superior flap. Laser settings were 110-mu m depth, 1.70-mJ bed and side-cut energy, 12-mu m spot separation, 10-mu m line separation, 70 degrees side-cut angle, 240-mu m pocket start width, and 200-mu m pocket start depth. The procedure was uneventful in the right eye whereas subconjunctival air bubbles were observed along the corneal limbus in the left eye (no bubbles were seen in the peripheral cornea). The patient was examined 30 minutes later, and the subconjunctival bubbles could still be observed. By the next day, the bubbles had disappeared completely. Postoperative uncorrected visual acuity was 20/20 in both eyes. CONCLUSIONS: Subconjuctival bubbles can be found after LASIK flap creation with a femtosecond laser.