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PURPOSE: To report the clinical results of small incision lenticule extraction to correct refractive errors using a femtosecond laser to refine the femtosecond lenticule extraction technique. SETTING: Private laser center, Vadodara, India. DESIGN: Prospective clinical study. METHODS: The VisuMax femtosecond laser system was used to perform small incision lenticule extraction to treat refractive errors. The laser was used to cut a refractive lenticule intrastromally to correct myopia and myopic astigmatism. The lenticule was then extracted from the stroma through a 3.0 to 5.0 mm incision. Outcome measures were corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA), and manifest refraction during 6 months of follow-up. Corneal topography and ocular wavefront aberrations were also measured. RESULTS: The study enrolled 51 eyes of 41 patients. The mean spherical equivalent was -4.87 diopters (D) ± 2.16 (SD) preoperatively and +0.03 ± 0.30 D 6 months postoperatively. Refractive stability was achieved within 1 month (P<.01). Six months after surgery, 79% of all full-correction cases had a UDVA of 20/25 or better. The 6-month postoperative CDVA was the same as or better than the preoperative CDVA in 95% of eyes. Two eyes lost 1 line of CDVA. CONCLUSION: All-in-one femtosecond refractive correction using a small incision technique was safe, predictable, and effective in treating myopia and myopic astigmatism. FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned. Additional disclosure is found in the footnotes.
Shah et al. (2010) studied this question.