Journal of Ophthalmic and Optometric Sciences

Vol. 9 No. 4 (2025)

Haze after Photorefractive Keratectomy with and without Mitomycin in Patients with Ablation Depths below 70 Microns: A Randomized Trial

Journal of Ophthalmic and Optometric Sciences, Vol. 9 No. 4 (2025), 23 September 2025 , Page 23-29
https://doi.org/10.22037/joos.v9i4.53069

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of mitomycin C (MMC) application during photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) in patients with low myopia and an ablation depth of less than 70 microns.
Setting: Vanak Eye Surgery Center, Tehran, Iran.
Design: This study was a prospective, randomized, double-masked, placebo-controlled clinical trial.
Methods: The study included patients with low myopia (less than three diopters) and a corneal ablation depth of less than 70 microns, who were candidates for PRK in both eyes. Each patient underwent PRK in both eyes, with one eye randomly receiving intraoperative MMC 0.02% (10 seconds) and the contralateral eye receiving a placebo. The main outcome measures were corneal haze and mean endothelial cell density assessed by confocal microscopy at six months postoperatively.
Results: Seventy eyes from thirty-five patients were evaluated. There was no statistically significant difference between the case and control groups in terms of mean preoperative best-corrected visual acuity, uncorrected visual acuity, sphere, cylinder, spherical equivalent, intraocular pressure, or endothelial cell count. The mean corneal haze, based on confocal microscopy readings at six months postoperatively, was significantly lower in the group receiving MMC (P = 0.003). The mean endothelial cell density at six months postoperatively was significantly lower in the MMC group compared to the control group (P = 0.006).
Conclusions: The application of MMC 0.02% significantly reduces postoperative haze in low myopia patients undergoing PRK with an ablation depth of less than 70 microns but is linked to a statistically significant reduction in endothelial cell density.

Keywords:
  • Photorefractive Keratectomy
  • Mitomycin
  • Myopia
  • Ablation
  • Haze
  • Endothelial Cell

How to Cite

Nassiri, N., Shahriari , M., Yadgari , M., Kavousnezhad , S., & Sheibani , K. (2025). Haze after Photorefractive Keratectomy with and without Mitomycin in Patients with Ablation Depths below 70 Microns: A Randomized Trial. Journal of Ophthalmic and Optometric Sciences, 9(4), 23–29. https://doi.org/10.22037/joos.v9i4.53069

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