Sensory and Motor Outcomes in Myopic Patients Treated with Surface Techniques

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate sensory and motor outcomes after refractive surgery with surface techniques (LASEK-MMC or PRK-MMC) in myopic patients with or without associated astigmatism.

Methods: An open randomized controlled experimental study was performed, in which 160 patients (320 eyes) were included, treated with LASEK-MMC (80 patients) and with PRK-MMC (80 patients), followed up during 3 months. The main variables evaluated were: age, type of refractive error, spherical equivalent, Kappa angle, anisometropia, stereopsis, near convergence point and its anomaly, convergence and divergence amplitude (near and far) and magnitude of ocular alignment deviation.

Results: The group treated with PRK-MMC had an average age of 26.48 years ± 4.47 and preoperative spherical equivalent of -3.27 ± 1.54 which decreased significantly (p < 0.05) to -0.04 ± 0.23 diopters (D) three months after surgery. The LASEK-MMC treated group had an average age of 26.31 years ± 4.86 and preoperative spherical equivalent of -3.34 ± 1.66 diopters (D) which decreased significantly (p < 0.05) to -0.06 ± 0.26 D three months after surgery. In addition, anisometropia decreased, stereopsis improved, Kappa angle increased, and convergence and divergence amplitude (for far) decreased; ocular alignment also improved.

Conclusions: Surface techniques to treat patients with myopia or compound myopic astigmatism decrease anisometropia, improve stereopsis, increase Kappa angle, and decrease near point anomaly and convergence and divergence amplitude (for far), with higher proportion of patients with orthophoria postoperatively.