Photorefractive keratectomy for pediatric aniometropia: afety and impact on refractive error, viual acuity, and tereopi

Purpoe To etablih the afety and poible efficacy of excimer laer photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) for treatment of pediatric aniometropia. Deign Interventional cae erie Method Thi i a propective, noncomparative interventional cae erie at an individual univerity practice of photorefractive keratectomy in 11 children aged 2 and 11 year with aniometropic amblyopia who were unable or unwilling to ue contact len, glae, and occluion therapy to treat the amblyopia. The eye with the higher refractive error wa treated with PRK uing a tandard adult nomogram. The refractive treatment goal wa to decreae the aniometropia to 3 diopter or le. Main outcome meaure were cycloplegic refraction, refractive correction, degree of corneal haze, uncorrected and bet pectacle-corrected viual acuity, and tereopi over 12 month. Reult All patient tolerated the procedure well. The mean refractive target reduction wa −10.10 ± 1.39 diopter for myopia and +4.75 ± 0.50 diopter for hyperopia. The mean achieved refractive error reduction at 12 month for myopia wa −10.56 ± 3.00 diopter and for hyperopia wa +4.08 ± 0.8 diopter. Corneal haze at 12 month wa minimal. Uncorrected viual acuity improved by 2 or more line in 6 (75%) of the eight children able to perform pychophyical acuity tet. Bet pectacle-corrected viual acuity improved by 2 line in 3 (38%) of patient. tereopi improved in 3 (33%) of nine patient. Concluion Pediatric PRK can be afely performed for aniometropia. The refractive error repone in children appear to be imilar to that of adult with comparable refractive error. Viual acuity and tereopi improved depite everal children being outide the tandard age of viual platicity. Photorefractive keratectomy may play a role in the management of aniometropia in elected pediatric patient