Comparison of corneal epithelial wound healing after photorefractive keratectomy in the rabbit with two types of excimer lasers

PURPOSE: To evaluate the differences in epithelial wound healing following photorefractive keratectomy when performed with the Summit UV 200 LA and the VISX 20/20 excimer lasers. METHODS: Sixteen New Zealand rabbits were divided into two groups. One group was treated with the Summit laser and the other group treated with the VISX 20/20 laser. The treatment consisted of a -6.00 diopter photorefractive keratectomy with a 5-mm diameter treatment zone. Epithelial wound healing was followed by photography at 4 hour intervals for 64 hours. The length of the wound edge and the size, shape, and closure time of the wound were measured. RESULTS: The median wound edge length at 4 hours was 18.3 mm for the Summit laser and 16.7 mm for the VISX laser. The median wound size at 4 hours was 22.0 mm(2) for the Summit and 21.2 mm(2) for the VLSX. The median wound closure time was 53.4 hours for the Summit laser and 54.0 hours for the VISX laser. CONCLUSION: There was no statistically significant difference in the epithelial healing of rabbit corneal wounds created by photorefractive keratectomy when performed with two current ophthalmic excimer lasers, the Summit UV 200 LA and the VISX 20/20.