Ten-year Follow-up of Excimer Laser Surface Ablation for Myopia in Thin Corneas

Purpose To evaluate the long-term outcomes of excimer laser surface ablation performed on thin corneas. Design Retrospective study. Methods We included in the study 75 eyes (49 patients) with a preoperative central corneal thickness (CCT) thinner than 500 μm that had undergone surface ablation to correct their myopia and that had at least 10 years of follow-up. We evaluated the stability of visual acuity (VA) and refraction, the predictability, corneal keratometry, safety, efficacy, and postoperative complications at the examinations 3 months and 1, 2, 5, and 10 years after surgery. Results Preoperative CCT was 481.54 ± 15.7 μm (range, 438 to 499 μm). Preoperative spherical equivalent was −6.12 ± 2.67 diopters (D) (range, −2 to −14 D). The best spectacle-corrected VA significantly improved ( P P Conclusion Surface ablation seems to be safe and effective to correct myopia in corneas thinner than 500 μm, with stable visual and refractive outcomes in a 10-year follow-up.