Corneal Epithelium Thickness and Refractive Changes After Myopic Laser Corneal Refractive Surgery

Abstract

Corneal epithelium thickens similarly after LASIK and SMILE, being slightly higher after SMILE. This correlates with the induced spherical aberration. Corneal epithelium thickening induces myopization of its refractive power, which accounts for a slight regression of the net refractive power change on the treated cornea. <b>[<i>J Refract Surg</i>. 2022;38(9):602-608.]</b>.