Lasik Eyes Surgery - Corneal Nerves Do Not Recover to Pre-Op Densities Post-LASIK

Author

Corneal Nerves Do Not Recover to Pre-Op Densities Post-LASIK

Wizkid

2004-11-14, 11:09 am

Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science. 2004;45:3991-3996.)
© 2004 by The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology,
Inc.
DOI: 10.1167/iovs.04-0561

Corneal Reinnervation after LASIK: Prospective 3-Year Longitudinal
Study
Martha P. Calvillo,1 Jay W. McLaren,1 David O. Hodge,2 and William M.
Bourne1

1From the Departments of Ophthalmology and 2Biostatistics, Mayo Clinic
College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota.

PURPOSE. To measure the return of innervation to the cornea during 3
years after LASIK.

METHODS. Seventeen corneas of 11 patients who had undergone LASIK to
correct myopia from –2.0 D to –11.0 D were examined by confocal
microscopy before surgery, and at 1, 3, 6, 12, 24, and 36 months after
surgery. In all available scans, the number of nerve fiber bundles and
their density (visible length of nerve per frame area), orientation
(mean angle), and depth in the cornea were measured.

RESULTS. The number and density of subbasal nerves decreased >90% in
the first month after LASIK. By 6 months these nerves began to
recover, and by 2 years they reached densities not significantly
different from those before LASIK. Between 2 and 3 years they
decreased again, so that at 3 years the numbers remained <60% of the
pre-LASIK numbers (P < 0.001). In the stromal flap most nerve fiber
bundles were also lost after LASIK, and these began recovering by the
third month, but by the third year they did not reach their original
numbers (P < 0.001). In the stromal bed (posterior to the LASIK flap
interface), there were no significant changes in nerve number or
density. As the subbasal nerves returned, their mean orientation did
not change from the predominantly vertical orientation before LASIK.
Nerve orientation in the stromal flap and the stromal bed also did not
change.

CONCLUSIONS. Both subbasal and stromal corneal nerves in LASIK flaps
RECOVER SLOWLY AND DO NOT RETURN TO PREOPERATIVE DENSITIES BY 3 YEARS
AFTER LASIK. The numbers of subbasal nerves appear to decrease between
2 and 3 years after LASIK. The orientation of the regenerated subbasal
nerves remains predominantly vertical.

Glenn - USAEyes.org

2004-11-14, 11:09 am

So far this report has been posted or reposted in this newsgroup today
by WizKid, a couple of weeks ago by Keller, May 1, 2003 by CP, and
December 12, 2002 by BrokenEyes.

Why not simply reference one of the previous postings, and subsequent
thread with relevant information?

Ragnar Suomi

2004-11-14, 11:09 am

I don't know why they bother posting their propaganda. I seriously
doubt that anyone has decided not to have LASIK because of their
garbage. I find it interesting that some surgeons have been doing
these measurements of nerve bundle densities for over 3 years. Just
how did they go about measuring them? What device would measure
that?

On Sun, 14 Nov 2004 02:23:12 GMT, Glenn - USAEyes.org
<glenn.hageleSTOPSPAM@USAEyes.org> wrote:

>So far this report has been posted or reposted in this newsgroup today
>by WizKid, a couple of weeks ago by Keller, May 1, 2003 by CP, and
>December 12, 2002 by BrokenEyes.
>
>Why not simply reference one of the previous postings, and subsequent
>thread with relevant information?

Rebecca

2004-11-14, 7:07 pm

Glenn - USAEyes.org <glenn.hageleSTOPSPAM@USAEyes.org> wrote in message news:<t7gdp0tv6jg2m73aoj826lmo4f4sne233k@4ax.com>...
> So far this report has been posted or reposted in this newsgroup today
> by WizKid, a couple of weeks ago by Keller, May 1, 2003 by CP, and
> December 12, 2002 by BrokenEyes.

Did I miss something? How could a study published in November 2004
have been posted in 2002 and 2003?

You know, it really gets confusing when on the one hand everyone who
discusses complications gets berated for not producing peer-reviewed
literature substantiating each and every comment made, but then those
who do produce current peer-reviewed literature also get berated for
doing so.

Wizkid

2004-11-14, 7:07 pm

How many people visit this board for the first time each month?
How many of these are familiar with past posts?
How many are going to take the time to go back into history to find
the posts Glenn refers to?
Why would you object to posts, even if repeated, which can be useful
to those seeking information?
Why do you and others here want to limit the dissemination of
information that will be of value for those trying to make an informed
decision on LASIK, PRK, or any other refractive procedure?

Take some time to examine you motives and why you participate on this
board at all...it is not clear from your posts.
WK

Ragnar Suomi <ragnarsuomi@yahoo.com> wrote in message news:<9u2ep09n6k7tr177khmfgheiudpn0luhvn@4ax.com>...[vbcol=seagreen]
> I don't know why they bother posting their propaganda. I seriously
> doubt that anyone has decided not to have LASIK because of their
> garbage. I find it interesting that some surgeons have been doing
> these measurements of nerve bundle densities for over 3 years. Just
> how did they go about measuring them? What device would measure
> that?
>
> On Sun, 14 Nov 2004 02:23:12 GMT, Glenn - USAEyes.org
> <glenn.hageleSTOPSPAM@USAEyes.org> wrote:
>