الفهرس 
INTRODUCTIONOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Corneal epithelial remodeling after refractive surgery differs according to the type of the procedure (PRK/LASIK/Femto-LASIK or Femto-SMILE), the type of refractive error corrected (Myopic or hyperopic), the optical zone diameter, and the ablation depth. In myopic correction, the central epithelium thickens, whereas, in the correction of a hypermetropic error, the central epithelium becomes thinner.
Evaluation of corneal epithelial thickness mapping and remodeling after different refractive techniques is therefore important to distinguish between normal and abnormal changes and screen for early detection of complications.
The aim of this work is to evaluate the changes in corneal epithelial mapping before and after Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) and Femto-second laser-assisted small incision lenticule extraction (Femto-SMILE) for correction of low to moderate myopia and myopic astigmatism.
The study was a prospective comparative interventional study in which we enrolled patients who underwent refractive surgery for correction of myopia and myopic astigmatism. Patients eligible for inclusion between 1st of March and 30th of June 2022 were enrolled in the study. The steps of operation (PRK or Femto-SMILE) were explained to the patients along with possible complications and written informed consent was provided to all patients before enrolment in the study.