BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Refractive eye surgery is a rapidly expanding field of ophthalmology and corneal surgery is undergoing constant development leading to less invasive technologies. The goal of this study was to compare the most common femtoLASIK surgery with the newer ReLEx SMILE surgery which is gentler to the cornea. The comparison was made in terms of dioptric error reduction. METHODS: The studied cohort of patients consisted of two major groups: 30 patients who underwent femtoLASIK surgery and 30 who underwent ReLEx SMILE surgery. -30 patients, 60 eyes. All patients were aged 18-45 years with moderate myopia or astigmatism ranging from -3.25 to -6.0 spherical diopters and from 0 to -1.0 cylindrical diopters. In all, the best corrected visual acuity measured prior to surgery was 1.0. Pachymetry was not comparable because each surgical method was performed at a different time point and the introduction of an innovative method into practice led to a change in selection criteria. RESULTS: During postsurgical check-ups, the ReLEx SMILE method (0.74) led to lower values of non-corrected visual acuity compared to the femtoLASIK method (0.88), (P<0.001). However, the results changed at the one-year post-surgery check-up, when ReLEX SMILE patients achieved non-corrected visual acuity of 0.97 compared to femtoLASIK patients, who scored 0.83, (P=0.007). Based on data analysis from the automatic refractometer, the average spherical diopters of the femtoLASIK (-0.32 D) were higher than those of the ReLEx SMILE (-0.07 D), (P<0.001). The results for the cylindrical diopters were also significant, (P=0.021). When we compared the spherical equivalent one year after surgery, the difference between methods was significant. The FemtoLASIK method resulted in an average SE -0.55 D compared to -0.09 D for the ReLEx SMILE method, (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: This study showed that there was a significant difference in results between the two surgical methods of treatment of moderate myopia and astigmatism, in terms of regression of dioptric error, as well as in achievement and maintenance of visual acuity during the observed period. The ReLEx SMILE had better results.

The Horni Pocernice Eye Clinic Prague Czech Republic

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