Early postoperative changes in corneal densitometry after SMILE with 120-μm and 130-μm cap thickness: a comparative study

Objective: To compare early postoperative changes in corneal densitometry after small incision lenticule extraction using 120-μm and 130-μm cap thicknesses. Methods: 69 eyes of 39 patients who underwent small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) with cap thicknesses of 120-μm (n ​= ​34) and 130-μm...

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Main Authors: Shirou Wu, Hongying Jin, Ting Wan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-08-01
Series:Advances in Ophthalmology Practice and Research
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667376225000186
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author Shirou Wu
Hongying Jin
Ting Wan
author_facet Shirou Wu
Hongying Jin
Ting Wan
author_sort Shirou Wu
collection DOAJ
description Objective: To compare early postoperative changes in corneal densitometry after small incision lenticule extraction using 120-μm and 130-μm cap thicknesses. Methods: 69 eyes of 39 patients who underwent small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) with cap thicknesses of 120-μm (n ​= ​34) and 130-μm (n ​= ​35) were included in this study. The corneal densitometry (CD) of three zones (0–2 ​mm, 2–6 ​mm, and 6–10 ​mm) of the anterior, central, and posterior corneal layers was evaluated before, one week, and one month after surgery. Uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA), corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), spherical degree, cylinder degree, and spherical equivalent (SE) were also analyzed and compared between the two groups before and after surgery. Results: Little difference was detected between the two groups in postoperative UCVA, BCVA, SE, and cylinder degree at one month. No statistically significant differences were found between the preoperative and postoperative CD values for the overall (0–12 ​mm) cornea and the 6–10 ​mm zone in either group. A significant increase in CD was observed in the 0–2 ​mm and 2–6 ​mm zones of the anterior layer in the 120-μm group, and the 0–2 ​mm zone of the central layer in the 130-μm group, one week postoperatively. These changes persisted for one month after surgery (P ​< ​0.05). The CD in the central layer (0–2 ​mm and 2–6 ​mm) in the 120-μm group, as well as the total layer (0–2 ​mm and 2–6 ​mm) in both groups, significantly increased at the first postoperative week but returned to preoperative levels by one month after surgery. Additionally, the CD of the anterior layer (0–2 ​mm and 2–6 ​mm) increased significantly in the first week postoperatively, decreased significantly one month postoperatively, but remained significantly higher than baseline in the 130-μm group. In both groups, the CD of the posterior 0–2 ​mm zone decreased. Moreover, the increase in CD in the anterior 2–6 ​mm zone one week postoperatively was significantly higher in the 120-μm group compared to the 130-μm group (ΔCD 2.4 ​± ​1.55 vs. 1.64 ​± ​0.87, P ​= ​0.014). Postoperative corneal wavefront aberrations were significantly higher in the 120-μm group than in the 130-μm group. Conclusions: CD increased mainly in the 0–6 ​mm zone of the anterior layer in the early phase after the SMILE procedure with both the 120-μm and 130-μm groups. The increase in CD in the anterior 2–6 ​mm zone one week postoperatively was higher in the 120-μm group than in the 130-μm group. SMILE with 120-μm and 130-μm cap thickness were both efficient and safe, but eyes with a 120-μm cap thickness showed higher postoperative corneal wavefront aberrations.
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spelling doaj-art-d37c13cc30e247c3a4c2b2890f60e26a2025-08-24T05:15:02ZengElsevierAdvances in Ophthalmology Practice and Research2667-37622025-08-015319620410.1016/j.aopr.2025.04.003Early postoperative changes in corneal densitometry after SMILE with 120-μm and 130-μm cap thickness: a comparative studyShirou Wu0Hongying Jin1Ting Wan2Eye Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Eye Diseases, Zhejiang Provincial Engineering Institute on Eye Diseases, Hangzhou, ChinaEye Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Eye Diseases, Zhejiang Provincial Engineering Institute on Eye Diseases, Hangzhou, ChinaEye Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhejiang Provincial Clinical Research Center for Eye Diseases, Zhejiang Provincial Engineering Institute on Eye Diseases, Hangzhou, China; Corresponding author. Eye Center, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.Objective: To compare early postoperative changes in corneal densitometry after small incision lenticule extraction using 120-μm and 130-μm cap thicknesses. Methods: 69 eyes of 39 patients who underwent small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) with cap thicknesses of 120-μm (n ​= ​34) and 130-μm (n ​= ​35) were included in this study. The corneal densitometry (CD) of three zones (0–2 ​mm, 2–6 ​mm, and 6–10 ​mm) of the anterior, central, and posterior corneal layers was evaluated before, one week, and one month after surgery. Uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA), corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA), spherical degree, cylinder degree, and spherical equivalent (SE) were also analyzed and compared between the two groups before and after surgery. Results: Little difference was detected between the two groups in postoperative UCVA, BCVA, SE, and cylinder degree at one month. No statistically significant differences were found between the preoperative and postoperative CD values for the overall (0–12 ​mm) cornea and the 6–10 ​mm zone in either group. A significant increase in CD was observed in the 0–2 ​mm and 2–6 ​mm zones of the anterior layer in the 120-μm group, and the 0–2 ​mm zone of the central layer in the 130-μm group, one week postoperatively. These changes persisted for one month after surgery (P ​< ​0.05). The CD in the central layer (0–2 ​mm and 2–6 ​mm) in the 120-μm group, as well as the total layer (0–2 ​mm and 2–6 ​mm) in both groups, significantly increased at the first postoperative week but returned to preoperative levels by one month after surgery. Additionally, the CD of the anterior layer (0–2 ​mm and 2–6 ​mm) increased significantly in the first week postoperatively, decreased significantly one month postoperatively, but remained significantly higher than baseline in the 130-μm group. In both groups, the CD of the posterior 0–2 ​mm zone decreased. Moreover, the increase in CD in the anterior 2–6 ​mm zone one week postoperatively was significantly higher in the 120-μm group compared to the 130-μm group (ΔCD 2.4 ​± ​1.55 vs. 1.64 ​± ​0.87, P ​= ​0.014). Postoperative corneal wavefront aberrations were significantly higher in the 120-μm group than in the 130-μm group. Conclusions: CD increased mainly in the 0–6 ​mm zone of the anterior layer in the early phase after the SMILE procedure with both the 120-μm and 130-μm groups. The increase in CD in the anterior 2–6 ​mm zone one week postoperatively was higher in the 120-μm group than in the 130-μm group. SMILE with 120-μm and 130-μm cap thickness were both efficient and safe, but eyes with a 120-μm cap thickness showed higher postoperative corneal wavefront aberrations.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667376225000186SMILECorneal densitometryCap thicknessWavefront aberration
spellingShingle Shirou Wu
Hongying Jin
Ting Wan
Early postoperative changes in corneal densitometry after SMILE with 120-μm and 130-μm cap thickness: a comparative study
Advances in Ophthalmology Practice and Research
SMILE
Corneal densitometry
Cap thickness
Wavefront aberration
title Early postoperative changes in corneal densitometry after SMILE with 120-μm and 130-μm cap thickness: a comparative study
title_full Early postoperative changes in corneal densitometry after SMILE with 120-μm and 130-μm cap thickness: a comparative study
title_fullStr Early postoperative changes in corneal densitometry after SMILE with 120-μm and 130-μm cap thickness: a comparative study
title_full_unstemmed Early postoperative changes in corneal densitometry after SMILE with 120-μm and 130-μm cap thickness: a comparative study
title_short Early postoperative changes in corneal densitometry after SMILE with 120-μm and 130-μm cap thickness: a comparative study
title_sort early postoperative changes in corneal densitometry after smile with 120 μm and 130 μm cap thickness a comparative study
topic SMILE
Corneal densitometry
Cap thickness
Wavefront aberration
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667376225000186
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AT hongyingjin earlypostoperativechangesincornealdensitometryaftersmilewith120mmand130mmcapthicknessacomparativestudy
AT tingwan earlypostoperativechangesincornealdensitometryaftersmilewith120mmand130mmcapthicknessacomparativestudy