Assessment of anterior chamber flare and cells after laser in situ keratomileusis

Purpose: To determine the presence of anterior chamber flare and cells after laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) for the correction of myopia. Setting: Hermann Eye Center and the University of Texas Medical School, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Houston, Texas, USA. Methods: Forty-three eyes of 23 consecutive patients ranging in age from 24 to 62 years had LASIK for myopia. All surgeries were performed by a single surgeon using a VISX Star laser and the same technique, Patients received no preoperative antiinflammatory medications. Postoperatively, all patients were instructed to use 1 drop of ofloxacin (Ocuflox (R)) and 1 drop of fluorometholone 0.1% (FML (R)) in the operated eye 4 times daily while awake for 7 days. At baseline and postoperative days 1, 7, and 28, anterior chamber flare was measured and cells were counted using a Kowa laser flare meter (FM-500) and laser cell counter (LC-500), respectively. Results: Flare and cells increased significantly on day 1 (P < .0001 for both flare and cells) and returned to preoperative levels by day 7. No statistically significant correlation was detected between the amount of inflammation and the number of laser pulses (P = .2922) or the ablation time (P = .8383). Conclusions: A significant increase in anterior chamber inflammation occurred during the first 24 hours after LASIK. Inflammation levels then subsided to preoperative levels by day 7 with steroid use. Anterior chamber inflammation did not appear to correlate with the duration of the ablation or the number of laser pulses.