Femtosecond Laser vs Mechanical Microkeratome for Hyperopic Laser In Situ Keratomileusis

PURPOSE: To compare the outcomes of laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) performed with a femtosecond laser vs a mechanical microkeratome for the correction of low to moderate hyperopia. DESIGN: Retrospective, nonrandomized, interventional, comparative case series. METHODS: SETTINGS: Vissum Santa Hortensia, Madrid, Spain. STUDY POPULATION AND PROCEDURES: Patients who had undergone LASIK to correct their hyperopia using the 60-kHz Infra Lase femtosecond laser were compared to age- and refraction-matched patients in whom the Mona M2 microkeratome was used. Visual and refractive results 3 months postoperatively were compared between both groups. RESULTS: A total of 144 eyes were analyzed (72 in each group). Mean preoperative sphere was +3.45 +/- 1.0 diopters (D) in the Infra Lase group vs +3.18 +/- 1.3 D in the M2 group (P = .1). Results 3 months postoperatively were: mean residual sphere, +0.44 +/- 0.6D vs +0.72 +/- 0.8 D (P = .02), respectively; uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA), 0.89 +/- 0.2 vs 0.80 +/- 0.2 (P = .04); best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BSCVA), 0.96 +/- 0.2 vs 0.92 +/- 0.2 (P = .2); safety index, 0.97 +/- 0.1 vs 0.98 +/- 0.1 (P = .5); efficacy index, 0.89 +/- 0.2 vs 0.84 +/- 0.2 (P = .3). CONCLUSIONS: Hyperopic LASIK performed with the IntraLase femtosecond laser seems to achieve better refractive results 3 months after the surgery compared to the M2 microkeratome, without significant differences in safety between both procedures. (Am J Ophthalmol 2011;152:16-21. (C) 2011 by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)