Thygeson's superficial punctate keratitis recurrence after laser in situ keratomileusis.

PURPOSE: To report a case of recurrent Thygeson's superficial punctate keratitis (SPK) in a patient submitted to photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) in one eye and laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) in the fellow eye.

DESIGN: Observational case report.

METHODS: A 32-year-old woman was diagnosed with Thygeson's SPK 5 years before undergoing PRK on the right eye and LASIK on the left eye to correct -3.00 + 1.50 x 20 and -3.75 sph, respectively.

RESULTS: The patient presented with recurrence of Thygeson's SPK in the left eye 10 months after the LASIK procedure and no recurrence on the right eye, which was treated with PRK.

CONCLUSIONS: This case report suggests that PRK may be a better option than LASIK in patients with ocular history of Thygeson's SPK. However, no strong conclusion can be established until further studies confirm the hypothesis of a lower recurrence rate of Thygeson's SPK following PRK compared with LASIK.