PRK with MMC as good as LASIK

Wavefront-guided photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) with mitomycin C (MMC) offers very similar results, when correcting compound myopic astigmatism, to wavefront-guided LASIK surgery, according to Mauro Campos and colleagues from the Federal University of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

In a prospective, masked, randomized, contralateral eye controlled clinical trial, 84 eyes of 42 patients received customized PRK with MMC in one eye and customized LASIK in the fellow eye. The same postoperative regimens were used in both eyes.

Mean preoperative spherical equivalent (SE) correction was -3.79±1.10 D (PRK) and -3.94±1.18 D (LASIK). At one-year follow-up the percentage of eyes in the PRK group with 0.0, -0.1, -0.2 and -0.3 log MAR uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) was 13%, 37%, 46% and 4%, respectively and 21%, 54%, 25% and 0%, respectively in the LASIK group. Mean cycloplegic refractive error was +0.48±0.37 D in the PRK group and +0.45±0.54 D in the LASIK group.

The researchers concluded that PRK with MMC is an effective method for correcting compound myopic astigmatism and produces very similar results to wavefront-guided LASIK.