Prospective contralateral eye study to compare conventional and wavefront-guided laser in situ keratomileusis.

PURPOSE: To compare outcomes of customized/wavefront guided with conventional ablation in myopic patients with or without astigmatism undergoing laser in situ keratomileusis.

METHODS: A prospective, comparative, contralateral eye study was performed. Sixty-eight eyes of 34 myopic patients with similar refractive error in both eyes were included. One eye was randomly selected to undergo conventional and the fellow eye customized ablation. Surgery was performed using the Technolas 217z laser (Bausch & Lomb, Surrey, UK). Uncorrected visual acuity, manifest refractive spherical equivalent (MRSE), astigmatism, aberrometry and contrast sensitivity were recorded pre and 3 months postoperatively.

RESULTS: Mean MRSE treated in the conventional and customized groups were 3.77 ± 1.61 dioptres and -3.83 ± 1.59 dioptres respectively. Three months postoperatively there was no significant difference between the groups in mean MRSE (p = 0.99) or cylinder (p = 0.56). The factor increase in postoperative total higher order aberrations (HOAs) was less in the customized (1.32) compared with the conventional (1.54) treatment group but did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.08). Scotopic contrast sensitivity decreased significantly postoperatively in the conventional but not in the customized treatment group.

CONCLUSION: Visual acuity and refractive error outcomes were similar in both treatment group and no patient preference was observed. Customized ablation was associated with a smaller but not statistically significant postoperative increase in HOAs, better preservation of scotopic contrast sensitivity, quicker treatment time and removal of less corneal tissue.