PURPOSE: To evaluate the use of topography-guided ablations for refractive irregularities induced by previous surgery.
METHODS: This prospective, non-comparative trial comprised 27 symptomatic eyes with a history of LASIK for myopia that underwent topography-guided treatment with the ALLEGRETTO WAVE system. Pre- and postoperative refraction, uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA), best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BSCVA), corneal asphericity (Q value), low contrast sensitivity, and patient's subjective assessment of improvement were measured.
RESULTS: Preoperative data were sphere -0.84±1.37 diopters (D), cylinder -1.55±0.78 D, UCVA 20/49±0.22, BSCVA 20/32±0.15, and Q value 1.46±0.79. Postoperative data at mean 6-month follow-up were: sphere -0.61±0.81 D, cylinder -0.53±0.58 D, UCVA 20/25±0.21 (P<.01), BSCVA 20/21±0.14 (P<.001), and Q value 1.07±0.89. Contrast sensitivity scores improved by 70%. No loss of BSCVA occurred in any patient.
CONCLUSIONS: Topography-guided treatments may be effective in correcting the quality of vision. It should be viewed as a possible two-step procedure due to spherical adjustment that may change refraction unpredictably. [J Refract Surg. 2005;21:S513-S518.]