Objective: Comparison of clinical results from mechanical and transepithelial debridement during photorefractive keratectomy.
Design: Randomized, prospective study.
Participants: Two hundred seventy-eight eyes in 173 patients between November 1995 and June 1997.
Intervention: Photorefractive keratectomy treatments with a Summit Omnimed excimer laser (6-mm). Clinical results were measured at 1, 3, and 6 months.
Main outcomes measures: Uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA), best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), mean spherical equivalent (MSE), astigmatism, corneal haze, and subjective vision (day, night, glare, and halo).
Results: At all postoperative intervals, no significant difference was present between mean values of MSE, haze, or any subjective parameters. For mean UCVA, BCVA, and astigmatism values, a significant difference (P < 0.05) was present only at 6 months. At all postoperative intervals, mechanical values tended to be superior to transepithelial valves.
Conclusion: Clinical results were not statistically different between the two techniques; however, the mechanical technique tended to have superior values for almost all tested parameters.