Low-Dose Mitomycin C as a Prophylaxis for Corneal Haze in Myopic Surface Ablation

Ivey Thornton, Ashok Puri, Meng Xu, Ronald R. Krueger

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

37 Scopus citations

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy of low-dose (0.002%) mitomycin C (MMC) vs no prophylactic MMC (control) in reducing corneal haze after surface laser ablation. Design: Two-year retrospective follow-up study performed in Jaipur, India. Methods: Ninety-two eyes with no MMC application and 83 eyes with 0.002% MMC application during laser epithelial keratomileusis (LASEK) were analyzed in a retrospective chart review with one month, two months, three months, six months, one year, and two years of postoperative follow-up. Postoperative haze, visual acuity, and efficacy ratio (EFFR) then were analyzed statistically. Results: The no-dose MMC and low-dose MMC groups were statistically similar except for a thinner corneal pachymetry (P < .001), higher spherical equivalent error (P = .006), and smaller ablation zone (P = .009) in eyes not treated with MMC when subjected to univariate analysis. Multivariate analysis was used to overcome the preoperative statistical differences among the two groups. Eyes treated with low-dose MMC (0.002%) demonstrated statistically less haze at all postoperative time points and in each myopic subgroup (P < .001). The postoperative uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) and EFFR, however, showed no difference between the groups, except for better EFFR with MMC at one month (P < .001) and two months (P = .034). Conclusions: Low-dose MMC (0.002%) in eyes after LASEK results in less corneal haze than in eyes not receiving this agent. Concerns regarding the potential toxicity of MMC make a 10-fold less concentration more desirable in refractive surgery. Further comparative study of low- vs higher-dose MMC is recommended to characterize its clinical benefit fully.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)673-681.e1
JournalAmerican journal of ophthalmology
Volume144
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2007
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Ophthalmology

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