EC Ophthalmology

Purpose: This study aimed to compare the changes in corneal endothelial cells between mechanical isolation of the epithelium and alcohol-assisted isolation six months after photorefractive keratectomy.

Methods: This randomized, controlled trial included 80 eyes from 40 patients undergoing PRK for myopia and myopic astigmatism correction. Each patient was randomly assigned to undergo alcohol-assisted epithelial removal or mechanical epithelial removal.

Results: Forty patients with an average age of 25 years (range, 19 to 55 years) were studied. The alcohol group had a lower postoperative cell density than the mechanical group, but this difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.062). In the alcohol-assisted PRK group, the size of the cells was smaller, but the difference between groups before and after surgery was not statistically significant (p = 0.52). There was no statistically significant difference between the frequency of hexagonal cells in any of the groups.

Conclusion: According to the findings of this study, there was no significant difference in endothelial cell parameters between the mechanical and alcohol-based epithelial debridement groups. The method of debridement is determined by the surgeon. We recommend a study with a longer follow-up period and a larger statistical sample size.

Keywords: Alcohol-Assisted Photorefractive Keratectomy; Mechanical Epithelial Debridement; Photorefractive Keratectomy; Corneal Endothelial Cell; Specular Microscopy

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