Researchers recently found that combining femtosecond (FS)-LASIK with accelerated corneal crosslinking (LASIK Xtra), while safe, provided few if any benefits compared with conventional FS-LASIK. They found no difference between the groups in uncorrected distance visual acuity (UDVA) and refractive stability and no signs of keratectasia.

The prospective randomized controlled trial evaluated 26 patients with high myopia, myopic astigmatism or both who received treatment with LASIK Xtra in one eye and conventional LASIK in the other.

They noted that there was no significant difference in outcomes between the groups during the 12-month follow-up period, with two small exceptions. The conventional LASIK eyes had slightly better best spectacle-corrected visual acuity after one week and a non-significant trend toward myopic regression from three to 12 months postoperative with a change in manifest spherical equivalent of -0.15D compared with -0.1D in LASIK Xtra eyes.

Kohnen T, Lwowski C, Hemkeppler E, et al. Comparison of femto-LASIK with combined accelerated crosslinking to femto-LASIK in high myopia eyes: a prospective randomized trial. Am J Ophthalmol. November 1, 2019. [Epub ahead of print].