Clinical Outcome and Recurrence of Epithelial Basement Membrane Dystrophy after Phototherapeutic Keratectomy : A Cross-sectional Study

ObjectiveTo evaluate the outcome of phototherapeutic keratectomy (PTK) treatment of epithelial basement membrane dystrophy (EBMD) patients and to examine clinical and morphologic signs of recurrent dystrophy.DesignCross-sectional, clinic-based study.ParticipantsFifty-two eyes of 39 patients diagnosed with EBMD who underwent PTK between 2001 and 2008.MethodsPreoperative symptoms, best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BSCVA), and refraction data were collected. At follow-up, refraction and BSCVA were measured, symptoms were noted, and slit-lamp biomicroscopy and in vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) were performed.Main Outcome MeasuresBest spectacle-corrected visual acuity and signs of recurrent EBMD based on symptoms and morphologic features. An assessment of EBMD severity after PTK additionally was considered.ResultsMean follow-up time was 43 months (range, 7–100 months). After PTK, BSCVA remained unchanged or improved in 49 (98%) of 51 eyes. Twenty-four (46%) of 52 eyes had recurrence of some form, and recurrence was correlated positively with postoperative time (P<0.001). Symptomatic recurrence occurred in 7 eyes (13%), whereas morphologic recurrence occurred in 21 eyes (40%). Symptoms were coupled with positive IVCM findings in 3 (43%) of 7 cases and with slit-lamp findings in 1 (14%) of 7 cases. Of 17 eyes with morphologic recurrence by IVCM, 9 eyes (53%) were classified as having grade 1 recurrence, 8 eyes (47%) were classified as having grade 2 recurrence, and none were classified as having grade 3 recurrence. Morphologic recurrence was associated with epithelial removal by laser ablation before PTK.ConclusionsAlthough PTK is an effective method of alleviating the clinical symptoms of EBMD, the dystrophy can recur with time. The relationship between the postoperative development of clinical symptoms and the corneal morphologic features is complex and requires further investigation.Financial Disclosure(s)The author(s) have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article.