Laser in situ keratomileusis: Association with increased width of palpebral fissure

PURPOSE: To report the preoperative and postoperative palpebral fissure width in eyes undergoing laser in situ keratomileusis. METHODS: In a prospective study, 165 consecutive eyes of 87 patients (41 men and 46 women with a mean ± standard deviation age of 32.9 (±9.5) years) had laser in situ keratomileusis using a Summit (Waltham, MA) APEX PLUS excimer laser and a Moria (Antony, France) LSK microkeratome. The width of palpebral fissure was measured preoperatively, 3 months or 6 months after laser in situ keratomileusis. Patients were classified into three groups as follows: hard contact lens users group (n = 61), soft contact lens users group (n = 63), and non-contact lens users group (n = 41). RESULTS: The average width of palpebral fissure increased after laser in situ keratomileusis in all three groups. The hard contact lens users group increased from 7.6 (±1.6) mm to 8.7 (±1.2) mm (P < .0001) and non-contact lens users group increased from 7.7 (±1.9) mm to 8.9 (±1.9) mm (P < .0001). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that laser in situ keratomileusis may be associated with an increase in the width of the palpebral fissure.