2Special İstanbul Cerrahi Hospital, Eye Clinic, İstanbul/TURKEY Purpose: To assess the effect of flap interface hemorrhages following microkeratome pass as one of the causes of diffuse lamellar keratitis (DLK).
Materials and Methods: All patients with significant hemorrhage due to peripheral corneal vascularization during microkeratome pass from April 2008 to December 2008 have been evaluated. The Moria (M2) single-use head 90 microkeratome has been used to create a corneal flap in all cases.
Results: Laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) procedures were performed by a single surgeon on 871 eyes in this study. Interface hemorrhage occurred in 28 eyes of 16 patients (3.2%). Although red blood cells were observed at the flap interface, mild DLK developed in only 4 of the 28 eyes (14.3%) on the next day. Lamellar infiltrates disappeared in the following days with intensive topical steroid treatment.
Conclusions: DLK development as a result of interface bleeding is a rare and usually mild condition.
Keywords : LASIK, hemorrhage, deep lamellar keratitis