Comparison of efficacy and visual quality after CWFG-FS-LASIK, AF-FS-LASIK and SMILE for correcting myopia with asymmetry mid-to-high astigmatism

Abstract

Background: Individualized ablation is not only able to correct corneal low-order aberrations but also to improve corneal high-order aberrations in patients with corneal asymmetry. In this study, we compared the effects of three different surgical methods, namely, corneal wavefront-guided femtosecond laser assisted in-situ keratomileusis (CWFG-FS-LASIK), aberration-free femtosecond laser assisted in-situ keratomileusis (AF-FS-LASIK) and small incision lenticule (SMILE), in patients with mid-to-high astigmatism asymmetric corneas (1-4D).Methods: One hundred-fourteen eyes from 58 patients were enrolled in this retrospective study. We measured and compared the best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA), residual astigmatism, total coma, vertical coma (Z3-1), horizontal coma (Z31), modulation transfer function (MTF) and point spread function (PSF) preoperatively and three months postoperatively. Results: The visual acuity of patients in the three groups was increased after surgery, but the improvements in visual acuity and residual astigmatism among them were not significantly different. However, the improvements in 4-mm and 6-mm total coma, Z3-1 and Z31 in patients who underwent CWFG-FS-LASIK were better than those in patients who underwent AF-FS-LASIK and SMILE. Consistent with these results, the improvements in MTF and PSF (3 mm and 5 mm) in the CWFG-FS-LASIK group were better than those in the AF-FS-LASIK and SMILE groups.Conclusions: Among surgeries for treating patients with mid-to-high astigmatism in asymmetric corneas, the selective coma-guided modality was able to decrease the coma of original cornea, improve visual acuity and optimize the visual quality of patients.