LASIK in patient with congenital nystagmus

Purpose: To evaluate the results of LASIK and IntraLASIK treatment in myopic patients with nystagmus. Methods: Eight patients with congenital nystagmus (16 eyes), from 23 to 49 years of age, underwent LASIK surgery. Corneal flaps were created using either the Hansatome microkeratome or the Intral...ase femtosecond laser. The ablations were performed with the Bausch & Lomb excimer laser with an active tracking system. In some patients, the eyes were fixated with forceps or a fixation ring during the laser ablation. Results: The refractive errors were corrected in all cases. There was no decentration or loss of best corrected visual acuity greater than 1 line. In 56% of the eyes, the post-operative uncorrected visual acuity was better than the best spectacle corrected-visual acuity (BSCVA). 62.5% of the eyes improved their BSCVA. The overall visual performance was improved in all the patients. One patient that did not not drive before become eligible to get a driver license after the surgery. Conclusions: Selected patients with myopia and congenital nystagmus may benefit from laser refractive surgery. Laser refractive surgery may be safely and accurately performed by using either the Hansatome microkeratome or the Intralase femtosecond laser and an active tracking system with or without mechanical fixation. Certain patients improve their BSCVA post-operatively.