Patient-Reported LASIK Outcomes on RealSelf: a Social Media Review Platform

Laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK), the most commonly performed elective refractive surgery, has reported patient satisfaction rates of 95%-99%. RealSelf, a social media review platform, is a source of patient-reported narrative reviews. The goal of this retrospective study was to characterize patient reviews for LASIK on RealSelf and determine factors influencing patient satisfaction.

Reviews for LASIK posted 2007-2022 on RealSelf were extracted using a web scraper. Written reviews were categorized as positive or negative. Content was further categorized into primary themes: adverse effect, bedside manner, comfort, cost, office environment, and refractive result. Pearson's chi-square and Fisher's exact tests with Bonferroni correction were performed using the Python SciPy library, with p < 0.05 considered significant unless otherwise stated.

Of 464 written reviews, 76.7% were positive. Refractive result was more likely than all other factors to be the primary theme of positive reviews, while cost was least likely (p < 0.001). Adverse effect and refractive result were more likely than other factors to be the primary theme of negative reviews (p ≤ 0.002). Positive reviews were more likely than negative reviews to cite refractive result as a primary theme (p < 0.001). The most common adverse effect mentioned was dry eye.

Refractive result was most likely to be a primary determinant of patient satisfaction; cost was least likely. Studying factors contributing to patient postoperative satisfaction can inform ophthalmologists seeking to improve patient care.