Refractive Regression and Changes in Central Corneal Thickness Three Years after Laser-Assisted Subepithelial Keratectomy for High Myopia in Eyes with Thin Corneas: A Retrospective Study

This retrospective study aimed to explore refractive regression and central corneal thickness (CCT) following laser-assisted subepithelial keratectomy (LASEK) performed for the correction of high myopia in eyes with thin corneas. Forty patients (19 male, 21 female; mean age, 28.5 years) representing 76 treated eyes were included. The mean optical zone was 6.10 +/- 0.32 mm, and the mean ablation depth was 121.53 +/- 15.48 mu m. CCT was significantly greater three years after surgery than at three months after surgery (425.66 +/- 15.44 vs. 385.20 +/- 12.81, respectively; p< 0.001). The mean change in CCT from three months to three years was 40.46 +/- 14.02 mu m. The SE at three years was greater than that at three months (p< 0.001). Although there was refractive regression, these data suggest that LASEK may have utility in the correction of high myopia in eyes with thin corneas.