IOVS
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

(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
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (26)
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Calvillo, M. P.
Right arrow Articles by Bourne, W. M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Calvillo, M. P.
Right arrow Articles by Bourne, W. M.

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.




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 IOVSHome page
N. Lagali, M. Griffith, P. Fagerholm, K. Merrett, M. Huynh, and R. Munger
Innervation of Tissue-Engineered Recombinant Human Collagen-Based Corneal Substitutes: A Comparative In Vivo Confocal Microscopy Study
Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci., September 1, 2008; 49(9): 3895 - 3902.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 IOVSHome page
K. Konomi, L.-L. Chen, R. S. Tarko, A. Scally, D. A. Schaumberg, D. Azar, and D. A. Dartt
Preoperative Characteristics and a Potential Mechanism of Chronic Dry Eye after LASIK
Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci., January 1, 2008; 49(1): 168 - 174.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Arch OphthalmolHome page
S. V. Patel, J. C. Erie, J. W. McLaren, and W. M. Bourne
Keratocyte Density and Recovery of Subbasal Nerves After Penetrating Keratoplasty and in Late Endothelial Failure
Arch Ophthalmol, December 1, 2007; 125(12): 1693 - 1698.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Arch OphthalmolHome page
G. A. Rocha, A. Acera, and J. A. Duran
Laser In Situ Keratomileusis Flap Necrosis After Trigeminal Nerve Palsy
Arch Ophthalmol, October 1, 2007; 125(10): 1423 - 1425.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 IOVSHome page
N. S. Lagali, M. Griffith, N. Shinozaki, P. Fagerholm, and R. Munger
Innervation of Tissue-Engineered Corneal Implants in a Porcine Model: A 1-Year In Vivo Confocal Microscopy Study
Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci., August 1, 2007; 48(8): 3537 - 3544.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 IOVSHome page
B. Sonigo, V. Iordanidou, D. Chong-Sit, F. Auclin, J. M. Ancel, A. Labbe, and C. Baudouin
In vivo corneal confocal microscopy comparison of intralase femtosecond laser and mechanical microkeratome for laser in situ keratomileusis.
Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci., July 1, 2006; 47(7): 2803 - 2811.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 IOVSHome page
R. Z. Xie, M. D. M. Evans, B. Bojarski, T. C. Hughes, G. Y. Chan, X. Nguyen, J. S. Wilkie, K. M. McLean, A. Vannas, and D. F. Sweeney
Two-Year Preclinical Testing of Perfluoropolyether Polymer as a Corneal Inlay
Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci., February 1, 2006; 47(2): 574 - 581.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Br. J. Ophthalmol.Home page
R Bochert, A Zhivov, R Kraak, J Stave, and R F Guthoff
Contribution to comprehension of image formation in confocal microscopy of cornea with Rostock cornea module
Br. J. Ophthalmol., October 1, 2005; 89(10): 1351 - 1355.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 IOVSHome page
S. Esquenazi, H. E. P. Bazan, V. Bui, J. He, D. B. Kim, and N. G. Bazan
Topical Combination of NGF and DHA Increases Rabbit Corneal Nerve Regeneration after Photorefractive Keratectomy
Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci., September 1, 2005; 46(9): 3121 - 3127.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2004 by the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology