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Superficial keratectomy with the 193 nm excimer laser:
Author(s) -
Fitzsimmons Thomas D.,
Fagerholm Per
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
acta ophthalmologica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.534
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1755-3768
pISSN - 1755-375X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1755-3768.1991.tb04853.x
Subject(s) - tetracaine , excimer laser , excimer , ablation , materials science , laser , phototherapeutic keratectomy , biomedical engineering , cornea , smoothing , optics , ophthalmology , surgery , medicine , computer science , lidocaine , physics , computer vision
Rough corneal surfaces may be smoothed by performing a superficial keratectomy with the 193 nm excimer laser. In order to smooth an irregular surface, a substance must be used during ablation to protect low corneal areas so that high spots are ablated preferentially. A simple, accurate, and reproducible method for modelling various corneal surface irregularities was developed. The technique uses the excimer laser to imprint the patterns of various metallic grids onto the stromal surface. The model was used to facilitate a comparison of three potential smoothing agents: 0.5% tetracaine, 2% hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, and a fluorescein‐containing hyaluronate preparation. Preliminary results indicate that tetracaine may be the most efficacious smoothing agent.