Allergic conjunctivitis as a risk factor for laser in situ keratomileusis

Purpose: To analyze the effect of allergic conjunctivitis (AC) on the outcome of laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) in myopic eyes. Setting: Minamiaoyama Eye Clinic, Tokyo, Japan. Methods: Patients who had LASIK were divided into 2 groups: those with AC (84 eyes of 49 patients; the allergic group) and those without AC (140 eyes of 77 patients; the nonallergic group). Allergic conjunctivitis was diagnosed clinically by symptoms of eye itching and clinical findings such as papillary proliferation on the tarsal conjunctiva. Preoperative and postoperative uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA) and refraction and intraoperative and postoperative complications were compared. Results: There were no significant differences in UCVA and refraction between the 2 groups. No complications were observed in the allergic group. Intraoperative conjunctival chemosis (3 eyes of 2 patients) and a postoperative epithelial defect that resulted in epithelial ingrowth (1 eye) were observed in the nonallergic group. Conclusion: The findings suggest that AC is not a risk factor for LASIK.