Treatment of previous decentered excimer laser ablation with combined myopic and hyperopic ablations

PURPOSE: Decentration of the ablation zone is an occasional complication of excimer laser refractive surgery. We describe a technique to recenter the ablation zone without changing the refractive status obtained by the first surgery. METHODS: Sixteen eyes of 14 patients had moderate or marked ablation decentration after previous excimer laser surgery for myopia, but with only minor residual refractive error. Five eyes had spectacle-corrected visual acuity loss and all these patients reported various symptoms such as halos, ghost images, or night driving difficulties. To recenter the ablation zone without changing the refraction, a combination myopic and hyperopic treatment was used. The hyperopic treatment was decentered toward the initial decentered myopic ablation. A myopia ablation of near equal dioptric value was then added, but decentered in the opposite direction. The Bausch & Lomb Technolas Keracor 217 laser was used. RESULTS: After the first retreatment, the centration of the ablation zone was improved in 15 of the 16 eyes. All eyes with initial spectacle-corrected visual acuity loss recovered lines of visual acuity. Subjective decrease of symptoms was described as follows: nil in one eye, mild in one eye, moderate in four eyes, and marked in ten eyes. A second retreatment was needed in five eyes: in two to improve centration and in three to correct residual ametropia. The only complication (one eye) was induced decentration 180 degrees away from the initial decentration with a 1-line spectacle-corrected visual acuity loss, and additional retreatment was required. CONCLUSION: A combination of decentered myopic and hyperopic ablation of an equivalent dioptric magnitude, each decentered 180 degrees apart, was a useful method to correct previous excimer laser treatment decentration, with minimal alteration of refractive status that was obtained by the initial surgery.