Outcome of a 10-year follow-up of laser in situ laser keratomileusis for myopia and myopic astigmatism

Purpose: To evaluate the results of laser in situ laser keratomileusis (LASIK) for myopia/myopic astigmatism over a 10-year period. Methods: We examined LASIK patients who received regular postoperative assessments over 10 years. We evaluated uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA), manifest refraction, best-corrected visual acuity, intraocular pressure, retreatment rate, safety, efficacy, and complications. Results: We studied 5423 eyes between December 1997 and February 2002. The study criteria were met by 346 eyes. A UCVA of 20/40 was achieved in 86.1% of the patients, with 52.0% achieving 20/20 at 10 years. Refraction within 1.00 σ of target was achieved in 76.3% of the patients, and 95.7% were within 2.00 σ at 10 years. Retreatment was required in 124 eyes (35.8%). The preoperative logMAR UCVA of 1.24 improved to-0.08 at 1 month, and slightly decreased to 0.06 at 10 years. The safety and efficacy indices were 1.0 and 0.89 at 1 month, and 0.99 and 0.71 at 10 years. Conclusion: We analyzed 6.3% of patients who regularly returned for postoperative examinations. Despite the relatively low 10-year-visit rate and the inclusion of single- and multiple-treatment cases, our results may represent the real-world picture of LASIK; furthermore, our study shows that LASIK is an effective and safe procedure.