Twelve-Year Follow-Up of Laser In Situ Keratomileusis for Moderate to High Myopia

To assess the long-term clinical outcomes of conventional laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) for moderate to high myopia.

We retrospectively examined sixty-eight eyes of 37 consecutive patients who underwent conventional LASIK for the correction of myopia (-3.00 to -12.75 diopters (D)). At 3 months and 1, 4, 8, and 12 years postoperatively, we assessed the safety, efficacy, predictability, stability, mean keratometry, central corneal thickness, and adverse events.

The safety and efficacy indices were 0.82 ± 0.29 and 0.67 ± 0.37, respectively, 12 years postoperatively. At 12 years, 53% and 75% of the eyes were within 0.5 and 1.0 D, respectively, of the targeted correction. Manifest refraction changes of -0.74 ± 0.99 D occurred from 3 months to 12 years after LASIK (p < 0.001). We found a significant correlation of refractive regression with the changes in keratometric readings from 3 months to 12 years postoperatively (Pearson correlation coefficient, r = -0.28, p = 0.02), but not with the changes in central corneal thickness (r = -0.08, p = 0.63). No vision-threatening complications occurred in any case.

Conventional LASIK offered good safety outcomes during the 12-year observation period. However, the efficacy and the predictability gradually decreased with time owing to myopic regression in relation to corneal steepening.