Corneal scarring from laser in situ keratomileusis after epikeratoplasty: clinical and histopathologic analysis.

A 47-year-old woman required penetrating keratoplasty in the right eye after developing delayed visually significant corneal scarring bilaterally after laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) in 1997 following epikeratoplasty in 1987. Spectral domain ocular coherence tomography of the left cornea showed a 100 μm lenticule with a LASIK flap posterior to the host Bowman layer at 250 μm. Histopathology and electron microscopy of the right corneal button showed a 120 μm lenticule with a LASIK flap within the lenticule at 100 μm. Clinically significant scarring was present within the LASIK flap interface, within the lenticule stroma, and within the area of the underlying host Bowman layer. There were keratocytes at the junction between the LASIK flap and lenticule stromal bed. Although epikeratoplasty is no longer practiced, post-epikeratoplasty patients may present for refractive surgical options and LASIK carries significant risks for corneal scarring in these individuals, especially when using flap-creating devices that may create thin LASIK flaps.