Abstract
Purpose: To evaluate a new non-ablative and adjustable procedure for laser ablative refractive corneal surgery in hyperopia using the injection of a biocompatible liquid filler material into a stromal pocket. Methods: A total of 120 stromal pockets were created using a clinical femtosecond laser system in 96 rabbit corneoscleral discs and 24 whole globes. Pockets were cut at a depth of 120 or 250 ìm below the epithelial surface. Hyaluronic acid was injected manually into the pocket. To determine the refractive changes, three-dimensional optical coherence tomography images and a specifically developed picture recognition Matlab (The Mathworks) routine were used. Results: After injection, a steepening of the anterior and flattening of the posterior corneal surface was observed, which led to hyperopic correction. The two main factors determining the amount of correction were the pocket depth and the injected volume. After the pocket was homogeneously filled, an initial refractive increase was observed, followed by a linear relation between the injected volume and the refraction increase. Conclusions: This possible clinical protocol for controlled refraction correction of hyperopia suggests a potential readjustable clinical application.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Journal of Refractive Surgery |
| Volume | 36 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| Pages (from-to) | 406-414 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| ISSN | 1081-597X |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 06.2020 |
Funding
Supported by an Early Discovery Fund of the Wellman Center for Photomedicine. The VisuMax femtosecond laser system was provided by Carl Zeiss Meditec AG. Dr. Wertheimer receives personal grant funding from DFG (German Research Foundation). Dr. Kassumeh received grants from Münchner Universitätsgesellschaft during the conduct of the study. Dr. Anderson reports unrelated financial activity from Avava, Blossom Innovations, Cytrellis, Next Gen Jane, and Sofregen outside the submitted work and is co-inventor of a patent applications related to the published topic (the owner of the patent application is the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston). Dr. Birngruber reports grants from Wellman Center for Photomedicine MGH and non-financial support from Carl Zeiss Meditec AG during the conduct of the study, and is the co-inventor of two patent applications related to the published topic (the owner of the patent applications is the Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston). The remaining authors have no financial or proprietary interest in the materials presented herein.
Research Areas and Centers
- Academic Focus: Biomedical Engineering
