Introduction: An intraoperative complication during keratorefractive lenticule extraction (KLEx) is highlighted, emphasizing the importance of maintaining a clear patient interface. Patient and Clinical Findings: A 25-year-old woman seeking refractive correction underwent KLEx (SMILE Pro, VisuMAX 800) for myopia. Despite an unremarkable preoperative evaluation and standard procedure protocols, the surgery was aborted because of a failed laser delivery. Diagnosis, Intervention, and Outcomes: This failure was attributed to the inadvertent contact of the surgeon's loose glove with the patient interface. This resulted in attenuation of the femtosecond laser delivery and subsequent uncut areas. The surgery was discontinued after the failed laser delivery, and the patient was scheduled for photorefractive keratectomy at a later date. This case illustrates the potential for minor deviations from standard protocols that significantly affect surgical outcomes in KLEx procedures. Conclusions: The importance of maintaining a clear interface and the necessity for well-fitted gloves to avoid complications that can lead to failed procedures and necessitate alternative surgical interventions is demonstrated.
Sachdev et al. (Thu,) studied this question.