PURPOSE:
To report a case of LASIK flap dehiscence caused by blunt trauma 6 years after uneventful refractive surgery.
METHODS:
A 32-year-old man presented 3 hours after being struck by a carton edge in his left cornea, causing dehiscence of the LASIK flap.
RESULTS:
At initial examination, uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) was 20/200 in the left eye. Minimal flap dehiscence was seen on the inferior corneal quadrant. A therapeutic bandage soft contact lens was placed and topical medical therapy was administered. Ten days after trauma, UCVA was 20/50 and best spectacle-corrected visual acuity was 20/30 in the left eye. At 7-month follow-up, the patient's clinical status did not change.
CONCLUSIONS:
Blunt corneal trauma occurring several years after uneventful LASIK may cause corneal flap dehiscence. Appropriate and prompt treatment usually is successful.
Copyright 2009, SLACK Incorporated.