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Corneal remodeling and spatial profiles following small incision lenticule extraction

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Abstract

Purpose

To evaluate the three-dimensional corneal spatial profiles following small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) based on corneal asphericity, thickness, and volume.

Materials and methods

Eighty-three eyes in 83 patients who underwent SMILE were examined before and 1 and 6 months after surgery. The asphericity of the anterior and posterior corneal surfaces was analyzed. Corneal volume (CV) was measured in corneal regions measuring 3.0 mm, 5.0 mm, and 7.0 mm in diameter. Mean corneal thickness (CT) values were acquired at the apex (0.0 mm) and in four concentric radial zones from the apex (with diameters of 2.0, 4.0, 6.0, and 8.0 mm).

Results

The mean anterior Q value increased from − 0.32 preoperatively to 0.67 at 1 month and 0.62 at 6 months postoperatively. The mean posterior Q value decreased from − 0.30 preoperatively to − 0.26 at 1 month and to − 0.25 at 6 months postoperatively. The CV increased by 0.05 ± 0.06 mm3 (1.40%), 0.06 ± 0.11 mm3 (0.83%), and 0.09 ± 0.17 mm3 (0.73%) along the radial zones with respective diameters of 3.0 mm, 5.0 mm, and 7.0 mm. The CT increased by 6.02 ± 6.48 µm (1.36%) at the apex and then decreased with increasing distance from the center, i.e., to 5.52 ± 6.31 µm (1.20%) at 2.0 mm, 4.72 ± 6.55 µm (0.92%) at 4.0 mm, 4.47 ± 7.86 µm (0.75%) at 6.0 mm, and 4.86 ± 10.31 µm (0.70%) at 8.0 mm. No correlations were observed between changes in CV and CT and refractive fluctuation between 1 month and 6 months postoperatively.

Conclusions

The corneal profile displayed a less oblate shift on the anterior surface; however, the posterior surface showed a slight backward shift during the postoperative period. The CV and CT steadily increased after surgery and mainly within the operative zones. Refraction remained stable postoperatively and was not affected by the corneal remodeling.

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Funding

This study was supported in part by the Natural Science Foundation of Tianjin City (Grant No. 16JCQNJC12600).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clinical College of Ophthalmology, Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, China

    Lin Zhang, Yan Wang, Wei Zhao, Wenbo Cheng & Tong Cui

  2. Tianjin Eye Hospital and Eye Institute, Tianjin Key Lab of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Clinical College of Ophthalmology, Tianjin Medical University, No 4. Gansu Road, Heping District, Tianjin, 300020, China

    Yan Wang

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  1. Lin Zhang
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  2. Yan Wang
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  3. Wei Zhao
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Correspondence to Yan Wang.

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Ethical approval

All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the Tianjin Eye Hospital at Tianjin Medical University research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Zhang, L., Wang, Y., Zhao, W. et al. Corneal remodeling and spatial profiles following small incision lenticule extraction. Int Ophthalmol 39, 1827–1836 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10792-018-1010-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10792-018-1010-3

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