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Confocal microscopy in refractive corneal surgery: is it a useful or an indispensable tool?

Introduction: the morphometric study of the cornea after excimer laser refractive surgery has turned into a recurrent research topic worldwide in the last few years, with a view to achieving in vivo corneal tissue outcomes, and hence, to evaluating these state-of-the-art technologies. Objective: to describe the corneal confocal microscopy uses in excimer laser refractive surgery. Methods: an exploratory study was conducted, which took into account the publications of the most outstanding authors in the last five years, as well as the highest impact journals in this field. Results: the different studies contained in this review yielded corneal density values by sublayers, corneal thicknesses, corneal cell and nerve characteristics, progression of these changes in time and statistical associations among the morphometric variables. Conclusions: the ophthalmologist working in the corneal refractive surgery must master the corneal confocal microscopy and incorporate it into his/her daily practice as a preoperative and postoperative tool that has already become indispensable to raise the safety of this type of treatment. There is still a lot to be said and done in this regard; the research line of this topic points to higher development of this technique in the coming years, which can be restrained by the low access to this costly procedure in other countries.