Each year, refractive surgeons who are members of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) are surveyed about a number of issues related to LASIK and other vision correction procedures.
For the recent 2008 survey, 634 surgeons responded, representing 13 percent of the ASCRS membership.
Here are some of the highlights of the survey. (The results obtained from this group of respondents may not accurately reflect the preferences and opinions of other U.S. refractive surgeons.)
- The number of LASIK procedures declined to 759,000 in 2008, down from 856,000 the previous year (approximately 12 percent decrease).
- The number of PRK procedures increased to 229,000 in 2008, up from 160,000 the previous year (approximately 43 percent increase).
- The total number of laser vision correction procedures performed in 2008 was 988,000. This total is essentially the same as it was the previous two years.
- Only 21 percent of surgeons say they perform more than five LASIK cases per month.
- For treating high myopia (-10.00 D), 40 percent of surgeons responding sy they prefer phakic intraocular lens (IOL) implantation. The next largest group (24 percent) prefer “waiting” to performing surgery at this time, 20 percent say they prefer LASIK and 11 percent say they prefer PRK.
- For moderate hyperopia (+3.00 D), 46 percent of surgeons prefer LASIK and 25 percent prefer refractive lens exchange (RLE).
- For high hyperopia (+5.00 D), 54 percent of surgeons prefer RLE, 30 percent prefer waiting and 9 percent prefer LASIK.
- For lens-based surgical treatment for presbyopia, 43 percent of surgeons responding say they prefer monovison. But 32 percent say they prefer a multifocal IOL or an accommodating IOL to monovision.
The survey also found that an increasing number of LASIK surgeons say they are creating thinner corneal flaps and/or are increasing their minimum residual corneal thickness preferences to minimize the risk of corneal ectasia, a rare but one of the most serious LASIK complications.
SOURCE: Survey proves flatlines aren’t always bad. Review of Ophthalmology. June 2009.