Femto-LASIK outcomes obtained by a fellowship trainee during a refractive surgery training program.

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Refractive Surgery
• Corneal Surgery

Background:

• Fellowship training is crucial for developing expertise in specialized surgical procedures.
• Evaluating clinical outcomes of trainee-performed surgeries is essential for quality assurance and education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction of laser refractive surgery conducted by a trainee.
• To provide the first report on refractive surgery outcomes by a fellow in Latin America.

Main Methods:

• Prospective study of 100 consecutive Femtosecond LASIK cases performed by a Cornea Fellowship trainee.
• Evaluation of visual and refractive outcomes over one year post-surgery.
• Patient satisfaction assessed using a 5-question survey at six months.

Main Results:

• Mean uncorrected distance visual acuity of 0.01 logMAR one year post-surgery.
• Refractive error improved from -3.91 D to -0.22 D.
• No loss of corrected distance visual acuity; stable refraction and high patient satisfaction reported.

Conclusions:

• Femtosecond LASIK performed by fellowship trainees yields favorable refractive and visual results.
• High levels of patient satisfaction and confidence were observed.
• This study highlights the efficacy of training programs in Latin American refractive surgery centers.