[Laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) for correction of myopia and astigmatism]

In order to better define the potential advantages and risks of laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK), we designed a prospective study including 73 eyes.

After 6 months, 62 eyes were examined. Myopia was corrected from -6.10 +/- 3.12 (mean +/- standard deviation) to +0.04 +/- 0.66 D, with 54 eyes (87.1%) being within +/- 1.00 D of emmetropia. Astigmatism was corrected from -1.07 +/- 1.02 to -0.32 +/- 0.89 D. Uncorrected visual acuity was 0.5 or better in 59 eyes (95.2%) and 1.0 or better in 27 eyes (43.5%) 6 months postoperatively. More than one line in best-corrected visual acuity was lost by 6 eyes (9.7%), with most of these eyes being highly myopic. There was no change or a gain in lines in best corrected visual acuity in 42 eyes (66.1%). Intraoperative complications arose in two eyes (2.7%); in one eye, visual acuity was temporarily decreased. More treatments were performed in 7 eyes (9.6%). Postoperatively, no haze, scars or central islands were detected. Patient satisfaction after LASIK was high: 97.3% were pleased or very pleased with the result.

In conclusion, LASIK is effective in the correction of myopia and myopic astigmatism. Although complications more frequently occurred in the correction of higher refractive errors, LASIK seems to be relatively safe compared with other refractive methods.