Demographics of patients having cataract surgery after laser in situ keratomileusis

To retrospectively assess the demographics of patients having cataract surgery in eyes with previous laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK).

Department of Ophthalmology, Kitasato University, Kanagawa, and Sanno Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.

Retrospective case series.

This study evaluated eyes of consecutive patients scheduled for cataract surgery after previous LASIK (Group 1). The control groups comprised eyes with axial lengths (ALs) matched with ALS in Group 1 (Group 2) and all eyes scheduled for cataract surgery (Group 3). Assessed were age, sex, corrected distance visual acuity, manifest refraction, keratometry (K) readings, corneal astigmatism, and corneal higher-order aberrations (HOAs).

Group 1 comprised 40 eyes of 40 patients; Group 2, 606 eyes of 606 patients; and Group 3, 3642 eyes of 3642 patients. The mean age at cataract surgery of patients in Group 1 was 54.6 years ± 8.1 (SD), which was significantly younger than in Group 2 (by approximately 10 years) and Group 3 (by approximately 15 years) (P < .001, Student t test). In Group 1, 70.0% of patients were men, a significantly higher percentage than in Groups 2 and 3 (P < .05, Fisher exact test). The rate of corneal HOAs was significantly higher in Group 1 than in Groups 2 and 3 (P < .05, Student t test). There were no significant differences in other demographics except in K readings.

A long AL and an increase in corneal HOAs might contribute to a tendency for cataract surgery to be performed earlier in eyes in which LASIK has been performed.

No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.