Comparison of clinical efficacy of TPRK and LASEK in the treatment of myopia

Mailihaba Tuerxun; Tang Yingying; Minawaer Tuoheti; Zhang Mingmei; Ma Hong; He Chaoyu; Wang Jing

doi:10.11986/j.issn.1673-873X.2025.11.18

Abstract：Objective To compare the clinical efficacy of transepithelial photorefractive keratectomy(TPRK)and laser-assis-ted subepithelial keratectomy(LASEK),two surface corneal refractive surgeries,aiming to provide a reference in the treat-ment of myopia.Methods From August 2022 to June 2024,116 myopic patients who underwent surface corneal refractive surgery at the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University were enrolled.The right eye of each patient was se-lected as the study eye.According to the surgical technique,patients were assigned to a TPRK group(n=58)and a LASEK group(n=58).Pain was assessed by the visual analogue scale(VAS)on postoperative days 1,3,5,and 7.Follow-up vis-its were conducted on day 3,day 14,and at 1,3,and 6 months postoperatively to measure and record uncorrected visual a-cuity(UCVA).Corneal subepithelial haze(Haze)was compared at 1,3 and 6 months postoperatively.Postoperative com-plications within 6 months were recorded and compared between groups.Results VAS scores in both groups decreased pro-gressively on postoperative days 1,3,5,and 7,with the differences being statistically significant(P＜0.05).The LASEK group had significantly higher VAS scores than the TPRK group on postoperative days 1,3,and 5(P＜0.05);there was no significant difference in VAS score on day 7(P＞0.05).UCVA in both groups increased progressively at postoperative day 3,day 14,and at 1 and 3 months,with statistically significant differences compared with earlier time points(P＜0.05).The LASEK group had significantly lower UCVA than the TPRK group at postoperative day 3,day 14,and 1 month(P＜0.05).UCVA at 3 and 6 months postoperatively showed no significant difference between the two groups(P＞0.05).The overall incidence of Haze at 1,3,and 6 months postoperatively did not differ significantly between groups(P＞0.05).The complication rate within 6 months was 13.79％in the LASEK group and 3.44％in the TPRK group,with a statistically significant difference(P＜0.05).Conclusion Compared with LASEK,TPRK for myopia more effectively re-duces postoperative pain,accelerates postoperative visual recovery,and has a higher safety profile.The long-term clinical efficacy of the two procedures is essentially comparable.