LAUSR

The corneal sub‐basal nerve (SBN) plexus is destroyed during photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) and its recovery is still a matter of debate. In vivo confocal microscopy (IVCM) was used to evaluate SBN plexus in 23 patients at a distance of 10–25 years (mean 15.6 years) from myopic PRK. Because 8 out of the 23 PRK patients underwent pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment, IVCM was also performed on those patients 6 months after PPV. Thirteen patients matched for age and myopia served as controls (non‐PRK). SBN plexus was markedly reduced after PRK compared with non‐PRK eyes and showed a slow, continuous but incomplete recovery up to the end of our follow‐up (range 10–25 years). PRK and non‐PRK eyes showed a marked reduction in SBN density 6 months after PPV, thus demonstrating a detrimental effect exerted by PPV on SBN plexus.