Early corneal remodelling following topography-guided femtosecond LASIK: a three-month retrospective analysis

Nasir, Ibrahim and Mohd Kamal, Khairidzan and Abd Bari, Muhd. Syafi and Musa, Azuwan (2026) Early corneal remodelling following topography-guided femtosecond LASIK: a three-month retrospective analysis. International Journal of Allied Health Sciences, 10 (2). pp. 3366-3371. E-ISSN 2600-8491

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Abstract

Background: Topography-guided femtosecond LASIK (TG-Femto-LASIK) improves corneal shape uniformity while correcting refractive errors. Although visual and refractive outcomes have been widely reported, fewer studies have focused on early corneal shape changes following treatment. This study aimed to assess three-month changes in corneal remodelling following TG-Femto-LASIK. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 50 eyes of 25 patients who underwent TG-Femto- LASIK at the IIUM Eye Specialist Clinic. Preoperative and three-month postoperative values of keratometry (K1, K2), corneal astigmatism, and axial inferior–superior (I–S) index were compared using paired t-tests. Preoperative Randleman ectasia scores and postoperative residual stromal bed (RSB) thickness were recorded for contextual reference. Results were expressed as mean ± standard deviation (SD), mean difference with 95% confidence intervals (CI), and p-values. Results: At three months, K1 decreased by 4.22 D (95% CI: -3.85 – -4.59, p < 0.001) and K2 by 3.55 D (95% CI: -3.20 – - 3.90, p < 0.001). Corneal astigmatism was reduced by 1.04 D (95% CI: -0.65 – -1.42, p < 0.001). The axial I–S index increased by 0.24 D (95% CI: 0.07 – 0.41, p = 0.006), while remaining within physiological limits. The mean preoperative Randleman score was 2.12 ± 1.49, and postoperative RSB was 346.8 ± 38.9 μm. Conclusion: TG-Femto-LASIK is associated with significant early corneal remodelling characterised by reduction in keratometry and astigmatism at three months. However, these findings represent short-term structural changes following stromal ablation and should not be interpreted as definitive indicators of biomechanical stability. Further longitudinal studies are required to evaluate long-term corneal behaviour and ectasia risk.

Item Type:	Article (Journal)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	topography-guided LASIK; femtosecond LASIK; corneal remodelling; ectasia risk
Subjects:	R Medicine > RE Ophthalmology
Kulliyyahs/Centres/Divisions/Institutes (Can select more than one option. Press CONTROL button):	Kulliyyah of Medicine Kulliyyah of Medicine > Department of Ophthalmology
Depositing User:	Dr. Azuwan Musa
Date Deposited:	01 Oct 2026 15:38
Last Update:	01 Oct 2026 15:38
Queue Number:	2026-09-Q5439
URI:	http://irep.iium.edu.my/id/eprint/131717
Indexed In:	Google Scholar, MyCite

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