Visual outcomes of photorefractive keratectomy in non-children with anisometropic amblyopia: One-year Follow-up Outcomes

Objective To evaluate the safety, efficiency, short term stability, and sensory results of photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) in anisometropic in non-compliant children with correction. Methods Twelve eyes of 12 children with an age range: 6-17 years and anisometropic amblyopia who underwent PRK under general anesthesia to correct the dioptric difference between the eyes were included in this study. A complete ophthalmic assessment including refractive status, uncorrected and corrected distance visual acuity (UDVA & CDVA), and binocular vision status using the Worth 4-dot test and stereopsis were performed before and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after PRK. Results The mean preoperative CDVA was 0.34 +/- 0.24 LogMAR which showed a statistically significant improvement at 12 months (0.20 +/- 0.19, p = 0.024) after surgery compared to the preoperative assessment. (p = 0.003) The mean preoperative UDVA was 0.63 +/- 0.24 LogMAR that increased to 0.44 +/- 0.24, 0.32 +/- 0.16, 0.25 +/- 0.19, and 0.25 +/- 0.19 LogMAR at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months after PRK, respectively. One to three lines improvement in UDVA and CDVA was seen in 10 (83.4%) and 8 eyes (66.7%); while one line UDVA and CDVA loss was seen in one (8.3%) and one (8.3%) eye and unchanged UDVA and CDVA was seen in 1 (8.3%) and 3 eyes (25%), respectively. The mean preoperative stereoacuity was 341.9 +/- 245.7 s of arc, which significantly improved to 166.6 +/- 87.5 s of arc 12 months after PRK. (p = 0.012) Conclusion PRK was an effective surgical alternative to improve visual acuity and stereopsis in anisometropic children who did not cooperate with conventional methods of amblyopia therapy.