In this article, it explains the role of mitomycin C or MMC on endothelial cell density in human eyes that have undergone photorefractive keratectomy or PRK. An ophthalmologist using an Excimer laser with the aid of zoom microscope does the Photorefractive keratectomy in which the surface of the cornea is reshaped.. PRK may be used to treat eye problems such as myopia or nearsightedness, hyperopia or farsightedness, and astigmatism. The procedure of PRK does not involve creation of a corneal flap utilizing the microkeratome. Before the PRK procedure, anesthetic drops will be applied to the eye of the patient to numb the eye and prevent pain. Placing a speculum to hold the lids apart during the procedure performs the procedure. In the process, the surgeon gently removes the surface corneal cells and proceeds with the laser aspect of the procedure. The laser with the aid of zoom microscope delivery takes less than one minute for most patients. After the refractive ablation is completed the surgeon will place a bandage contact lens on the eye for improved comfort along with anti inflammatory and antibiotic eye drops. The patient can resume activities of daily living a few minutes following the procedure. PRK is an elective procedure. It likewise has its share of risks and benefits. In general, indications for the PRK surgery must include an appropriate level of nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism. The best candidate for PRK is an individual who desires to be less dependent on glasses or contact lenses. Some of the primary potential risks involved in the PRK procedure include postoperative glare, halos or starburst around lights at night, and infection in the cornea with loss of best-corrected visual acuity. Infections in the cornea sometimes occur too. The Mitomycin C is a very old and established chemotherapy drug. This drug is commonly used to treat mainly bladder and rectal cancers. It is also sometimes used to treat other types of canvers such as pancreatic, lung and breast cancers.
The purpose of the study presented in the article is to clarify the role of the intraoperative use of mitomycin C on endothelial cell density after photorefractive keratectomy. One eye of 15 patients was treated with PRK with intraoperative use of topical 0.02 percent MMC. This was done for 15 seconds. The other eye was treated with Epipolis laser with the aid of zoom microscope in situ keratomileusis or Epi LASIK. This was done in random order. The article tells that corneal confocal microscopy was performed in all eyes preoperatively. It is also done at one, three, six, and 12 months after the surgery. There were three endothelial images taken in each of 15 preoperative normal eyes. This was done in order to evaluate the repeatability of measuring endothelial cell density.

The study utilized the repeated measures analysis of variance to compare the temporal variations of endothelial cell density between the two techniques and the changes of endothelial cell density over time. The results of the investigation showed that the coefficient of repeatability of endothelial cell count was 148 cells per square mm. It has been found that the preoperative endothelial cell density was not significantly different between the two groups. The results likewise showed that the effect of the treatment on the temporal variation of endothelial cell density was insignificant, whereas the differences between the preoperative and the postoperative endothelial cell densities reached statistical significance. The authors of the study concluded that the prophylactic intra operative application of MMC of up to 15 seconds after PRK does not seem to affect the endothelial cell density. Read more on this topic