Corneal re-innervation following refractive surgery treatments

• Main Authors: Nur Zahira Yusoff, Yam, Gary Hin-Fai, Mehta, Jodhbir Singh, Bandeira, Francisco
• Other Authors: School of Materials Science & Engineering
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: 2019
• Subjects: Photorefractive Keratotomy; Small Incision Manual Lenticule Extraction; Engineering::Materials
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/83528; http://hdl.handle.net/10220/49760
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Laser refractive surgery is one of the most performed surgical procedures in the world. Although regarded safe and efficient, it has side effects. All of the laser based refractive surgical procedures invoke corneal nerve injury to some degree. The impact of this denervation can range from mild discomfort to neurotrophic corneas. Currently, three techniques are widely used for laser vision correction: small incision lenticule extraction, laser-assisted keratomileusis in situ and photorefractive keratotomy. Each of these techniques affects corneal innervation differently and has a different pattern of nerve regeneration. The purpose of this review is to summarize the different underlying mechanisms for corneal nerve injury and compare the different patterns of corneal reinnervation.