Visual field defect associated with laser in situ keratomileusis.

Purpose: To report a case of visual field defect associated with laser in situ keratomileusis.

Methods: Case report. A 28-year-old woman with high myopia (-10D) and a family history of normal tension glaucoma underwent bilateral laser in situ keratomileusis keratorefractive surgery. Preoperatively, both eyes had normal intraocular pressure and visual field.

Results: At the first postoperative visit 1 day after apparently uncomplicated laser in situ keratomileusis, the patient reported a scotoma in the right eye. At 3-month follow-up, visual fields revealed the patient had developed a near-superior altitudinal visual field defect in the right eye. The defect did not progress over 1 year of follow-up examinations.

Conclusion: Increased intraocular pressure associated with the microkeratome vacuum ring used during laser in situ keratomileusis may have precipitated optic nerve head ischemia and visual field defect.