Purpose: To report the clinical and confocal microscopic characteristics of reticular folds (mudcracks) in a cornea after laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK).
Methods: A 30-year-old male showed reticular flap folds on slit-lamp examination 1 week after LASIK. In addition to slit-lamp biomicroscopy, confocal in vivo microscopy was performed.
Results: Examination with a confocal white-light slit-scanning microscope revealed distinct folds of Bowman's layer and underlying microfolds throughout the flap stroma. After flap re-lifting, no changes could be determined, either clinically or by confocal microscopy. At 12 months following the procedure, best spectacle-corrected visual acuity was slightly improved, but the folds, as imaged by confocal microscopy, still persisted.
Conclusions: In the present case, reticular folds after LASIK involved the entire thickness of the flap. Simple flap lifting was not sufficient for smoothing out the folds.