Improvement of best spectacle-corrected visual acuity after LASIK in highly myopic eyes with reduced preoperative...

To evaluate the visual acuity after LASIK in patients with high myopia and in patients with preoperative best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BSCVA) <0.6.

This retrospective study comprised 97 consecutive eyes in 57 patients who underwent LASlK. Preoperative spherical refractive error ranged from -1.75 to -22.00 diopters (D) (mean: -11.77+/-3.61 D) with mean astigmatism of -1.54+/-10.6 (range: 0 to -4.00 D). Pre- and postoperative BSCVA and uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) were measured and analyzed.

The mean preoperative BSCVA was 0.54+/-0.07 (range: 0.3 to 0.6). The mean postoperative BSCVA was 0.75+/-0.16 (range: 0.5 to 1.2). The mean postoperative UCVA was 0.60+/-0.25 (range: 0.5 to 1.2). A statistically significant improvement was noted in the mean postoperative BSCVA compared with the mean preoperative BSCVA (t=12.78; P<.001) and mean postoperative UCVA compared with preoperative mean BSCVA (t=2.866; P<.01). The safety index was 1.38, which was statistically significant (P<.001). The efficacy index was 1.11, which was statistically significant (P<.01).

LASIK improved the mean postoperative BSCVA and UCVA compared with preoperative BSCVA in highly myopic eyes with reduced BSCVA.