In total, 38 patients were initially enrolled in the study. Thirty-two patients finally completed the 12-month follow-up, and six patients were lost to follow-up. No significant difference was noted between the groups at baseline with respect to spherical equivalent (SE), CDVA, central corneal thickness (CCT), or epithelial thickness. The optical zones between the groups were not significantly different. However, the central ablation depth and total ablation zone were significantly higher in the TPRK group compared to the Off-flap Epi-LASIK group (both P < .001, Table 1).
Table 1. Baseline characteristics of eyes that had transepithelial PRK or off-flap Epi-LASIK.
|
|
Transepithelial PRK
|
Off-flap Epi-LASIK
|
P value
|
Parameter
|
Mean ± SD
|
Range
|
Mean ± SD
|
Range
|
Refractive errors (D)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sphere
|
-6.03±1.97
|
-9.50, -2.50
|
-6.18±2.01
|
-9.75, -2.50
|
.363
|
Cylindrical
|
-1.09±0.72
|
-3.00, 0.00
|
-1.03±0.73
|
-3.50, 0.00
|
.616
|
SE
|
-6.57±2.01
|
-10.00, -2.88
|
-6.67±1.99
|
-10.25, -2.88
|
.519
|
UDVA (logMAR)
|
1.07±0.22
|
0.50, 1.60
|
1.08±0.23
|
0.50, 1.60
|
.730
|
CDVA (LogMAR)
|
-0.003±0.05
|
-0.10, 0.10
|
0.003±0.04
|
-0.10, 0.10
|
.423
|
CCT (um)
|
498.78±23.81
|
465.00, 570.00
|
499.00±22.53
|
462.00, 556.00
|
.789
|
Total ablation zone (mm)
|
7.95±0.32
|
6.70, 8.44
|
7.47±0.26
|
6.89, 8.14
|
<.001
|
Optical zone (mm)
|
6.30±0.32
|
5.80, 7.00
|
6.30±0.35
|
5.80, 7.00
|
.872
|
Stromal ablation depth (um)
|
154.56±24.09
|
99.00, 188.00
|
101.19±19.40
|
61.00, 129.00
|
<.001
|
SE= Spherical equivalent; UDVA = uncorrected distance visual acuity; CDVA = corrected distance visual acuity; logMAR = logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution; CCT = central corneal thickness.
|
Corneal Epithelial Healing and Pain Score
More eyes completed re-epithelialization in the TPRK group three days (20 eyes, 63% vs. 16 eyes, 50%) and four days (25 eyes, 81% vs. 24 eyes, 78%) after surgery than in the off-flap Epi-LASIK group. Nevertheless, all eyes underwent re-epithelialization by seven days. There was no significant difference in median pain score (range) between the two groups (TPRK: 2.0 [4] vs. Off-flap Epi-LASIK: 1.0 [5], P = .372).
Visual Acuity, Efficacy, and Safety
During the period of postoperative observation, more eyes achieved visual acuity (both UDVA and CDVA) better than 20/20 in the TPRK group than in the Off-flap Epi-LASIK group (shown in Fig. 1A). None of the eyes lost two lines or more of CDVA in either group at the 12-month follow-up, and 60.00% (n=18) of the eyes in the TPRK group and 63.33% (n=19) eyes in the off-flap Epi-LASIK group gained one or two lines of improved CDVA ( shown in Fig. 1B). There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of line gain or loss (P = .58). Furthermore, no significant differences in UDVA or CDVA were noted between the groups (shown in Fig. 1C). At 12 months postoperatively, there were no significant differences in the mean efficacy index (ratio of postoperative UDVA to preoperative CDVA), mean safety index (ratio of postoperative to preoperative CDVA), refractive error (sphere, cylinder, and SE), UDVA, and CDVA between the two groups (Table 2).
Table 2. Comparison of postoperative visual acuity and refractive errors in eyes that had transepithelial PRK or off-flap Epi-LASIK.
|
|
Transepithelial PRK
|
Off-flap Epi-LASIK
|
P Value
|
Parameter
|
Mean ± SD
|
Range
|
Mean ± SD
|
Range
|
Refractive errors (D)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Sphere
|
0.21±0.33
|
-0.50, 1.00
|
0.33±0.46
|
-0.50, 1.25
|
.218
|
Cylindrical
|
-0.43±0.30
|
-1.00, 0.00
|
-0.48±0.39
|
-1.50, 0.00
|
.584
|
SE
|
-0.01±0.35
|
-0.88, 0.88
|
0.08±0.42
|
-0.88, 1.00
|
.311
|
UDVA (logMAR)
|
-0.05±0.09
|
-0.20, 0.20
|
-0.04±0.08
|
-0.10, 0.20
|
.326
|
CDVA (logMAR)
|
-0.06±0.06
|
-0.10, 0.10
|
-0.05±0.06
|
-0.10, 0.10
|
.522
|
Efficacy index
|
1.13±0.16
|
0.79, 1.26
|
1.11±0.19
|
0.79, 1.41
|
.733
|
Safety index
|
1.15±0.12
|
1.00, 1.26
|
1.14±0.13
|
0.89, 1.41
|
.631
|
SE= Spherical equivalent; UDVA = uncorrected visual acuity; CDVA = corrected distance visual acuity; logMAR = logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution.
|
Refraction
The ± 0.50 D predictability for correction of the spherical equivalent (SE) was higher in the eyes of the TPRK group (91%) compared to those of the off-flap Epi-LASIK group (80%) 12 months after surgery (shown in Fig. 1D). The linear regression model of the attempted vs. achieved SE refraction in the TPRK group had a slope and coefficient (r2) of 0.996 and 0.9717, respectively, and 0.998 and 0.9594, respectively, in the off-flap Epi-LASIK group (shown in Fig. 1E).
With respect to astigmatism correction, all treated eyes in the TPRK group and 31 treated eyes (97%) in the off-flap Epi-LASIK group exhibited postoperative cylinders of 1.00 D or less (shown in Fig. 1F). The linear regression analysis between the target-induced astigmatism (TIA) and surgically induced astigmatism (SIA) vectors revealed slopes and coefficients (r2) of, 0.87, and 0.68, respectively, in the TPRK group (shown in Fig. 2A) and 0.88, and 0.65, respectively, in the off-flap Epi-LASIK group (shown in Fig. 2B). Figure 3 shows the TIA and SIA vector polar diagrams of the TPRK group (shown in Fig. 3A and B) and the off-flap Epi-LASIK group (shown in Fig. 3C and D), respectively. No significant differences were found between two groups, with respect to magnitude and axis of TIA, SIA, difference vector and the value of angle of error, correction index and index of success (Table 3).
Table 3. Comparison of vector parameters between the TransPRK and off-flap Epi-LASIK groups.
|
|
Transepithelial PRK
|
Off-flap Epi-LASIK
|
P Value
|
Parameter
|
Mean ± SD
|
Range
|
Mean ± SD
|
Range
|
TIA
|
|
|
|
|
|
Magnitude (D)
|
0.91 ± 0.62
|
0.00, 2.67
|
0.90 ± 0.65
|
0.00, 3.06
|
.936
|
Axis (degrees)
|
102.0 ± 75.6
|
1.0, 180.0
|
109.2 ± 72.8
|
1.0, 180.0
|
.698
|
SIA
|
|
|
|
|
|
Magnitude (D)
|
1.12 ± 0.65
|
0.25, 2.75
|
1.21 ± 0.71
|
0.21, 3.06
|
.464
|
Axis (degrees)
|
92.7 ± 75.5
|
1.1, 180.0
|
97.8 ± 74.7
|
1.0, 179.2
|
.796
|
Difference vector
|
|
|
|
|
|
Magnitude (D)
|
0.43 ± 0.30
|
0.00, 1.00
|
0.48 ± 0.39
|
0.00, 1.49
|
.473
|
Axis (degrees)
|
81.4 ± 52.2
|
0.00, 170.0
|
82.2 ± 55.6
|
0.00, 175.0
|
.953
|
Angle of Error (degrees)
|
-1.5 ± 13.9
|
-38.9, 35.9
|
2.2 ± 13.2
|
-49.0, 72.1
|
.394
|
Correction index
|
1.32 ± 0.61
|
0.44, 3.19
|
1.45 ± 0.76
|
0.50, 3.90
|
.419
|
Index of success
|
0.53 ± 0.54
|
0.00, 1.99
|
0.65 ± 0.72
|
0.00, 3.05
|
.410
|
TIA = target induced astigmatism; SIA = surgically induced astigmatism.
|
Ocular Wavefront Aberrations
In the eyes of the TPRK group, there was a significant decrease in ocular spherical, coma, and trefoil aberrations (all P .027) 12 months after surgery. In the eyes of the off-flap Epi-LASIK group, there was a significant decrease in ocular spherical and trefoil aberrations (both P .012) 12 months postoperatively. The difference in ocular higher-order aberrations (HOAs) between the two groups was not significant at 12 months after surgery. By 12 months, the photopic and mesopic contrast sensitivity was not significantly different between the groups (Table 4).
Table 4. Comparison of ocular higher-order aberrations and contrast sensitivity in eyes that had transepithelial PRK or off-flap Epi-LASIK.
|
|
Transepithelial PRK
|
Off-flap Epi-LASIK
|
P Value
|
|
Mean ± SD
|
Range
|
Mean ± SD
|
Range
|
HOAs (um)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Spherical
|
0.053±0.120
|
0.001, 0.581
|
0.077±0.206
|
0.001, 1.084
|
.348*
|
Coma
|
0.118±0.200
|
0.007, 0.963
|
0.156±0.245
|
0.007, 1.069
|
.209*
|
Trefoil
|
0.148±0.205
|
0.019, 0.796
|
0.142±0.150
|
0.021, 1.160
|
.802*
|
CS photopic
|
|
|
|
|
|
3 cpd
|
1.76±0.13
|
1.49, 1.93
|
1.74±0.12
|
1.49, 2.08
|
.326
|
6 cpd
|
2.03±0.16
|
1.70, 2.29
|
2.02±0.17
|
1.70, 2.29
|
.670
|
12 cpd
|
1.73±0.18
|
1.40, 1.99
|
1.72±0.18
|
1.40, 1.99
|
.744
|
18 cpd
|
1.31±0.18
|
0.96, 1.55
|
1.30±0.18
|
0.81, 1.55
|
.689
|
CS mesopic
|
|
|
|
|
|
3 cpd
|
1.73±0.13
|
1.49, 1.93
|
1.70±0.11
|
1.49, 1.93
|
.155
|
6 cpd
|
2.01±0.14
|
1.70, 2.29
|
2.01±0.17
|
1.70, 2.29
|
1.000
|
12 cpd
|
1.69±0.19
|
1.40, 1.99
|
1.68±0.20
|
1.40, 1.99
|
.714
|
18 cpd
|
1.25±0.21
|
0.81, 1.55
|
1.26±0.22
|
0.96, 1.55
|
.821
|
HOA = higher-order aberration, CS = contrast sensitivity. *Mann-Whitney U test.
|
Haze
We discovered that one eye had 0.5 + haze after off-flap Epi-LASIK and two eyes had 0.5 + haze after TPRK. In the Off-flap Epi-LASIK group, 0.5 + or 1.0 + haze was noted in 19 eyes (59.4%), nine eyes (28.1%), and four eyes (12.5%) 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively, respectively. In the TPRK group, 0.5 + or 1.0 + haze was found in 17 eyes (53.1%), 10 eyes (31.3%), and six eyes (18.8%) 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively, respectively. There were no significant differences between the groups.