Nd:YAG-Assisted Ablation of Post-Traumatic Epithelial Ingrowths in a LASIK Flap

Abstract

Ten years after uneventful laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK), a 44-year-old man presented to the emergency de- partment after suffering blunt trauma to his left eye 1 week earlier, reporting intense glare. Although the flap was not dislocated, a central tear near the optical axis was identi- fied (Fig. 1), with several adjacent inframillimetric epithe- lial ingrowths (hyperreflective densities located between the flap and the stromal bed; Fig. 1, yellow arrowheads). The epithelial ingrowths were treated with Nd:YAG laser (48 spots, 0.3 mJ average energy). All opacities disappea- red after four weeks, with no recurrence after six months of follow-up (Fig. 2).