LASIK is safe and effective for the correction of mild, moderate and high myopia in Asian eyes, according to a new long-term study.
Researchers in Singapore evaluated the safety, effectiveness and predictability of LASIK for the treatment of varying degrees of nearsightedness among an Asian population.
A total of 37,932 eyes of 19,753 patients were included in the 10-year study. All patients underwent LASIK at the Singapore National Eye Centre between 1998 and 2007.
The mean age of participants in the study was 33 years (range: 21 to 40 years). More than 90 percent of the participants were ethnic Chinese.
Mean pre-LASIK myopia was -5.90 diopters (D), with a range of -3.33 to -8.47 D. The average follow-up time after LASIK was 69 days.
Data gathered at the final follow-up visits revealed:
- More than 90 percent of participants who had LASIK since 2000 achieved uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) of 20/40 or better.
- 72.8 percent of participants undergoing LASIK since 2000 achieved UCVA of 20/20 or better.
- More than 93 percent of participants who underwent LASIK in the last four years of the study had refractive outcomes that were within 1.00 D of the intended endpoint.
- An improvement in safety was observed over the course of the 10-year study period, with fewest complications occurring in the final year (2007).
- The overall LASIK retreatment rate to improve visual outcomes was 3.8 percent.
- 91 percent of retreated eyes achieved UCVA of 20/30 or better.
The researchers also observed a significant improvement in post-LASIK UCVA and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) over the course of the 10-year study.
Regarding LASIK risks and complications, 2.4 percent of eyes lost one line of BCVA on a standard eye chart, and 0.1 percent lost two lines of BCVA.
The authors of the study concluded that LASIK is safe, effective and predictable for the treatment of myopia in Asian eyes.
They also said improvements in LASIK technology over the course of the 10-year study led to more accurate results toward the end of the study period, with an increasing percentage of patients achieving uncorrected visual acuity of 20/15 or better after the procedure.
SOURCE: A 10-year prospective audit of LASIK outcomes for myopia in 37,932 eyes at a single institution in Asia. Ophthalmology. Published online February 15, 2010.