Corneal Haze Following Disruption of Epithelial Basement Membrane on Ultra-high-resolution OCT Following Femtosecond LASIK

PURPOSE: To analyze in vivo structural properties of a case with interface haze that developed after femtosecond laser-assisted LASIK. METHODS: Case report. RESULTS: A 42-year-old man underwent uncomplicated LASIK. Four months after the surgery he developed regression of his refractive error and interface haze in both eyes. Flap thickness was calculated as 73 μm and 81 μm in the right and left eyes, respectively. A novel ultra-high-resolution spectral domain optical coherence tomography (OCT) system was used to demonstrate in vivo morphology of the cornea. On ultra-high-resolution OCT, haze was demonstrated as increased bright white reflectivity of the flap interface. Areas of focal disruption of the basement membrane and Bowman layer corresponded with the most significant areas of interface haze. CONCLUSIONS: Our results support the hypothesis that haze after femtosecond LASIK may be a result of damage to the basement membrane and Bowman layer of the cornea.