Abstract

Excimer laser keratectomy ablates superficial corneal tissue and recontours the corneal surface with great precision. It is being evaluated for correction of myopia (photorefractive keratectomy, PRK), and for correction of astigmatism and removal of superficial corneal opacities (phototherapeutic keratectomy, PTK). Ongoing clinical trials for PRK report that laser treatment for simple myopia in otherwise normal eyes reduces refractive error and improves uncorrected visual acuity. However PRK has also been reported to increase glare disability.^1,2 Its effect on contrast sensitivity is unclear.^3,4 One study⁵ showed that PTK improved visual acuity in 21 of 27 eyes with corneal scarring. But contrast sensitivity and glare disability were not measured. The goal of this ongoing study is to evaluate the post-operative change in objective and subjective visual function in patients enrolled in a PTK clinical trial.

© 1993 Optical Society of America