Concurrent laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis with high-fluence cross-linking versus laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis only in treatment of hyperopia

Purpose To compare refractive and corneal structural stability after laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) with and without concurrent prophylactic high-fluence cross-linking in the treatment of hyperopia. Patients and methods In an interventional prospective nonrandomized comparative study, 50 eyes of 25 patients with hyperopia (+1 D to +6 D) or hyperopic astigmatism (up to 4 D) underwent customized LASIK with concurrent prophylactic high-fluence cross-linking in the right eye (group A) and customized LASIK only in the left eye (group B). Main outcome measures included postoperative uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA), manifest and cycloplegic refractive spherical equivalent, keratometric readings, and spherical aberrations throughout the 2 years of postoperative follow-up. Results There were statistically significant changes in all studied parameters between preoperative and postoperative follow-up at 3 months, 1 year, and 2 years in both groups, and these changes remained stable in group A throughout the follow-up period. UCVA was statistically significantly better in group A compared with group B at 3 months (P=0.02). In group B, UCVA was highly statistically significant better at 1 year compared with that at 3 months (P=0.005). Conclusion LASIK with concurrent prophylactic high-fluence has better visual outcomes and stability compared with LASIK alone in the treatment of hyperopia.