Seven-year follow-up of LASIK for moderate to severe myopia

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate long-term refractive outcomes of LASIK for correcting moderate to severe myopia.

Methods: A long-term (7-year) prospective follow-up study of visual and refractive outcomes in patients who underwent myopic LASIK surgery in 1998 and 1999. Fifty-nine patients (104 eyes) of the original cohort of 75 patients underwent detailed clinical assessment at 1 and 7 years postoperatively. The main outcome measures were predictability, efficacy, safety, and stability. Topography, corneal thickness, and postoperative complications were recorded at 7 years. All patients completed a questionnaire assessing their satisfaction with the procedure.

Results: At 7 years postoperatively, 89.4% of eyes were within 0.50 diopters (D) of attempted correction, and 90.4% were within 1.00 D. All eyes had 20/40 or better vision and 94.2% had 20/20 or better. Best spectacle-corrected visual acuity was unchanged or improved in 80.8% of eyes. Eyes did not regress in refraction between 1 and 7 years postoperatively. Complications were rare and patient satisfaction with the surgery was high.

Conclusions: LASIK surgery has predictable and stable results in refractive and visual outcomes in correcting moderate to high myopia on long-term follow-up. Refractive stability is maintained over 7 years, with no evidence of progressive late-onset complications.