Epi-LASIK After Amputation of a LASIK Flap

PURPOSE: To demonstrate the feasibility of performing epi-LASIK after amputation of a LASIK flap. METHODS: Three months following complicated primary LASIK and immediate flap amputation, a Lasitome microkeratome (Gebauer, Neuhausen, Germany), equipped with an epi-head and -blade, was used to perform an epi-LASIK surface ablation. RESULTS: Despite uneven stromal contour at the site of the original hinge after amputation of the LASIK flap, the microkeratome passage was uneventful, resulting in a regular epithelial flap. Laser ablation was performed and the epithelial flap was repositioned. CONCLUSIONS: Epi-LASIK was completed with no intraoperative complication in the presence of an irregular stromal surface after amputation of a LASIK flap. This procedure may extend our options in the management of LASIK flap-related complications.