Evaluation of Corneal Thickness and Endothelial Cells Before and After Excimer Laser Photorefractive Keratectomy

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Abstract
The possible endothelial damage induced by photorefractive keratectomy was investigated in myopic eyes. A morphometric analysis of the endothelial cells was performed in 19 patients before and 2 months after photorefractive keratectomy for the correction of various degrees of myopia. Central ultrasonic pachometry was also recorded at the same examination times. No significant changes (p = .816) of the endothelial cell density were found between preoperative and postoperative measurements. The pleomorphic index did not show any significant changes after treatment (p = .955). Central corneal thickness was reduced to a various extent (range from 50 microns to 250 microns) according to the amount of myopic correction intended. Our preliminary data suggest that photorefractive keratectomy for the correction of myopia does not induce endothelial cell damage, at least in the short term.