Comparison of the Levels of Transforming Growth Factor-β1 in Tear Fluid in Patients with High Myopia after Transepithelial Photorefractive Keratectomy and Laser Subepithelial Keratomileusis (LASEK).

We compared the level of transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) in the tear fluid of 20 patients with high myopia who underwent transepithelial photorefractive keratectomy (T-PRK) in one eye and laser subepithelial keratomileusis (LASEK) in the contralateral eye. Tear fluid samples were collected with scaled microcapillary tubes before (day 0) and on days 1, 3, and 5 after surgery. The release of TGF-β1 was determined by multiplying the concentration of TGF-β1 by capillary tear fluid flow.