N.P. PASHTAEV¹^—³, I.L. KULIKOVA¹, O.V. SHLENSKAYA¹

¹Cheboksary branch of Interbranch scientific and technical complex «Eye Microsurgery» named after acad. S.N. Fedorov, 10 Traktorostroiteley St., Cheboksary, Russian Federation, 428028

²Chuvash State University named after I.N. Ulyanov, 15 Moskovsky Ave., Cheboksary, Russian Federation, 428015

³Institute of Advanced Training of Physicians of the Ministry of Health of the Chuvash Republic, 3 Krasnaya ploshad St., Cheboksary, Russian Federation, 428032

Pashtaev N.P. ― D. Med. Sc., Director of the branch, Head of the Department of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology of the Medical Faculty, Head of the Ophthalmology Course, tel. (8352) 36-91-73, e-mail: prmntk@chtts.ru

Kulikova I.L. ― D. Med. Sc., Deputy Director, tel. (8352) 36-91-53, e-mail: koulikova@mail.ru

Shlenskaya O.V. ― ophthalmologist of the Diagnostic Department, tel. (8352) 36-91-02, e-mail: oshlenskay@mail.ru

The article presents the results of a comparative analysis of cornea histomorphology in 64 patients with hyperopic refraction after laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK). The analysis was performed using a confocal microscope «Confoscan-4» (Nidek, Japan). Histomorphological changes in 30 children and 34 adults within 3 years after surgery are described. In early postoperative period morphological changes were identical in both groups. There was a decrease in epithelium thickness with presence of desquamation of surface epithelium and disorder of nucleocytoplasmic relation. In the corneal flap there were folds of various manifestation rates. In the interface there were insertions of different reflectivity. In children reparative processes occurred more quickly after LASIK. Restoration of innervation in children began three months after the operation and ended after six months. Keratocytes density in children at the first year after LASIK corresponded to the original data. In adults the innervation restoration was completed at the first year after surgery. Keratocytes density in adults remained reduced for 3 years after LASIK in comparison with the original data before the operation. Morphological signs of a «dry eye» syndrome were characteristic for both groups during the period from 3 to 6 months after surgery.

Key words: confocal microscopy, laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK), keratocytes density, innervation restoration.