To estimate the concentrations of matrix
metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and tissue inhibitors of
metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1) in the tear film of cases
with post-Lasik ectasia (PLE) to spot any role of these
mediators.
Settings Ophthalmology department, Benha University
hospitals, Egypt.
Methods Twelve eyes of 12 patients with PLE, 30
eyes of 30 patients with KC, 25 eyes of 25 subjects
with uncomplicated Lasik and finally 25 eyes of 25
healthy subjects as a control group were studied.
Subjects with ocular surface diseases, previous ocular
surgeries except for Lasik in PLE group and Lasik
group, were excluded. All subjects had full ophthalmic
examination and Pentacam imaging. The concentration
of tear MMP-9 and TIMP-1 was measured by
ELISA.
Results Our results showed a significant elevation in
the level of MMP-9 and a significant reduction in the
level of TIMP-1 in tear samples from PLE cases
(MMP-9 was 59.17 ± 28.15 ng/ml, and TIMP-1 was
110.3 ± 50.6 ng/ml) and also in KC cases (MMP-9
was 53.12 ± 17.35 ng/ml, and TIMP-1 was
105.8 ± 56.3 ng/ml) when compared to post-Lasik
group (MMP-9 was 35.65 ± 17.32 ng/ml, and TIMP-
1 was 155.2 ± 39.4 ng/ml) and control group (MMP-
9 was 31.92 ± 20.78 ng/ml, and TIMP-1 was
162.5 ± 48.2 ng/ml).
Conclusion The results pointed to potential role of
MMP-9 in the pathogenesis of PLE and also referred
to a biochemical similarity between PLE and KC.
More studies are needed in the future to investigate
larger number of tear mediators.