Abstract

ALVARADO, Amanda  and  VALENCIA, Marcela. Echografic Vitreoretinal Findings after Laser In Situ Keratomileusis. Rev. Cienc. Salud [online]. 2003, vol.1, n.2, pp.164-170. ISSN 1692-7273.

Objective: To report the echographic changes observed in the vitreous of patients following Lasik. Design: Prospective, observational, descriptive study. Method: We performed an ultrasound of the vitreous of patients elegible for refractive surgery. Vitreous Changes were measured by video B scan ultrasonography before and at the first and third month after Lasik at Fundación Oftalmológica Nacional between June 2002 and March 2003. Results: A total of 16 patients, 67% women, 33% men, mean age of 31.6 years (range between 22 and 40 years). A total of 29 eyes were studied, 16 right and 13 left for a total of 87 echographies. The refractive errors in a range of -10.50 and +3.50 of spherical equivalent. There were 24 myopic and 5 hypermetropic eyes. The vitreous changes corresponded to a posterior vitreous detachment (PVD) and the presence of opacities in the vitreous. At the beginning of the study 18 eyes (62%) had evidenced PVD and all of the 29 eyes (100%) had opacities; At the end of the controls changes were evidenced in 22 eyes (81%), the vitreous opacities increased in 14 eyes (48.27%), while they remained without changes in 15 eyes (51.7%). The presence of newly developed PVD was documented in 10 eyes (30 %), there was an increase of PVD in 8 eyes (27.5%), and in one case we observed the presence of a traction area at the vitreoretinal interfase that corresponded to 3.4% of the eyes studied; it was an hypermetropic patient in whom ophthalmoscopically, after the echographic findings, we evidenced two operculated like retinal holes that required treatment with laser. Conclusions: We demostrated that true changes are evidenced at the vitreous post Lasik. Posterior vitreous detachment is the most significant discovery and it could be implied in the genesis of tears and detachment of the retina, but its incidence is even smaller than in the general population and this allows refractive surgery to remain as a safe procedure, even though we suggest patients follow a dilated indirect fundoscopy examination before and after Lasik.

Keywords : Lasik; laser; vitreous; echography; follow up.

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