[Q-value-guided femtosecond laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis for low-to-moderate myopia with age-related...

Objective: To evaluate clinical outcomes and visual quality after femtosecond laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (FS-LASIK) performed with the Q-value-guided optimized monocular vision protocol (Custom-Q) for correction of low-to-moderate myopia and compensation for age-related accommodation deficiency. Methods: A prospective study was performed based on patients with myopia and age-related accommodation deficiency, who underwent Custom-Q FS-LASIK in the Peking University Third Hospital from October 2022 to October 2023. Monocular and binocular distance, intermediate, and near visual acuities, simulated whole-course visual acuity (binocular defocus curve), objective and subjective refractions, anterior corneal Q factor, anterior corneal higher-order aberrations and a subjective questionnaire assessing near visual acuity and visual quality were evaluated at 3 months postoperatively. Visual acuity was recorded using the logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution. The data were analyzed using the t-test and the Wilcoxon rank-sum test. Results: A total of 45 patients (90 eyes) who met the inclusion criteria and completed the 3-month follow-up were included in the study. The mean age of the 21 men (42 eyes) and 24 women (48 eyes) was (42.82±2.72) years. During the 3-month follow-up, all the patients achieved binocular uncorrected distance visual acuity not less than 0.00 and uncorrected near visual acuity not less than 0.20. Defocus curves revealed better results at 3 months postoperatively [0.00 (-0.08, 0.00), -0.08 (-0.08, 0.00)] at intermediate and near vergence (-1.50 to -1.00 D) compared to the preoperative values [0.00 (-0.08, 0.05), -0.08 (-0.08, 0.00)] (P<0.05). All the 45 patients maintained 0.10 or better vision at the defocus range from -2.50 to 0.00 D. The Q value in the dominant eyes was more positive postoperatively (0.01±0.26 vs.-0.15±0.14, P<0.05), while in the nondominant eyes, the Q value and corneal spherical aberration coefficient became more negative than those before surgery (-0.27±0.32 vs.-0.14±0.11, P<0.05; 0.08±0.05 vs. 0.12±0.03, P<0.05). The questionnaire demonstrated 42 (93.3%) patients were satisfied with near vision. The three most commonly reported visual discomforts after surgery were blurred vision, glare and halos. These symptoms were all mild to moderate in severity and did not interfere with daily life. Conclusion: For myopic patients with age-related accommodation deficiency, the Custom-Q algorithm proved to be a safe and effective way to achieve acceptable near vision and visual quality without compromising distance vision.