Photorefractive keratectomy in eyes with congenital nystagmus.

Background: We report 2 eyes of 2 patients with nystagmus and myopia who underwent photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) to correct myopia.

Methods: A 32-year old male patient with a baseline spectacle-corrected visual acuity of 20/40 had PRK with an Aesculap Meditec MEL 60 excimer laser with a suction ring system for correction of a spherical equivalent of -8.25 diopters (D). A 19-year old male patient with baseline spectacle-corrected visual acuity of 20/50 had PRK with an Autonomous Technologies T-PRK flying spot and tracking excimer laser to correct a spherical equivalent of -5.00 D.

Results: Twenty-seven months after PRK, the operated eye of the 32-year old patient had an uncorrected visual acuity of 20/32 and a spectacle-corrected visual acuity of 20/25. Six months postoperatively, the operated eye of the 19-year old patient had uncorrected and spectacle-corrected visual acuity of 20/50.

Conclusion: Patients with nystagmus are eligible for PRK to correct their refractive error with these two laser systems.