This Article  • Full text  • PDF  • Reply to article  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Excimer laser-based refractive surgery is a brilliant idea aimed at replacing the need for glasses or contact lenses. It has been improved significantly during the last decade for precision correction of refractive errors with less pain and fewer adverse effects. The refractive results of this method are excellent. The potential problem lies elsewhere.

This procedure involves a laser beam at 193 nm that practically evaporates part of the cornea, breaking cells and molecules to create the smooth surface necessary for the best optical results. The creation of free radicals, therefore, is an inseparable part of the corneal-reshaping process.^1-4 Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) and laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) are known to cause keratocyte apoptosis within the corneas of laboratory animals.^{1, 3} Although it is not possible to foresee the long-term effects of corneal keratocyte apoptosis, it is reasonable to assume that these cells fulfill a function within the corneal structure and that . . . [Full Text of this Article]