Worldwide, an average 95.4 percent of LASIK patients are satisfied with their new vision, according to the first review of the international body of scientific literature, says the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) in a press release issued today.

With 16.3 million patients having had LASIK worldwide, and more than a decade of clinical study and technological innovation behind it, LASIK is considered among the most successful elective procedures available today, according to ASCRS.

“We find that there is solid evidence in the world’s scientific literature to affirm that there is an exceptionally high level of satisfaction in patients who have had LASIK surgery," said Richard Lindstrom, M.D., president of ASCRS.

Dr. Lindstrom acknowledges, however, that "no surgery is perfect" and that a small percentage of patients do have unsatisfactory outcomes from LASIK.


Study methodology

The study, “LASIK: A Global Perspective on Patient Satisfaction," was led by Kerry Solomon, M.D. at the Storm Eye Institute of the Medical Center of South Carolina.
Dr. Solomon and others examined nearly 3,000 peer-reviewed articles published over the past 10 years in clinical journals from North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia.

The articles included in the study were published over a 10-year period, from 1998 to January 2008. Follow-up of patients in these studies ranged from one month to 10 years.

“This survey goes back to literature published 10 years ago. In that time, there have been major technological advances, such as wavefront-guided LASIK and the introduction of special lasers to form a flap on the surface of the eye in preparation for the laser treatment. Coupled with better surgical techniques, and improved patient selection, we can say that modern LASIK is a mature procedure," said Dr. Solomon.


Key findings

Key findings from the study include:

• 95.4% of LASIK patients worldwide report satisfaction with the outcome of their procedure.


• Approximately the same percentage would recommend LASIK to a friend or would elect to undergo the procedure again.


• More than 95.2% of LASIK patients in the U.S. are satisfied with the outcome of their procedure.


• Outside the U.S., studies from France, India, Iran, Ireland, The Netherlands, Scotland, South Africa, Spain, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and The United Kingdom report very similar patient satisfaction rates of about 95.6%.


• The total range of satisfaction rates in individual studies was from 87.2% to 100%.

How patient satisfaction data were obtained

From the original 2,915 articles included in the study, 308 studies of primary LASIK cases that included patient satisfaction, patient quality of life analysis after LASIK and other factors were selected for additional review. The meta-analysis aggregates the findings of 19 of these studies (2,199 patients in total) that specifically address the question of patient satisfaction. The remaining 289 articles are being studied to determine if and what additional valuable data can be obtained.


Final results to be presented at annual ASCRS meeting

The final results of Dr. Solomon's literature review will be presented at the annual Symposium and Congress of the ASCRS to be held April 4-9, 2008 in Chicago. His presentation will provide more specific data from the meta-analysis, including factors associated with patient dissatisfaction.


About ASCRS

The mission of The American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) is to advance the art and science of ophthalmic surgery and the knowledge and skills of ophthalmic surgeons. It does so by providing clinical and practice management education and by working with patients, government, and the medical community to promote the delivery of quality eye care. The society has 9,300 members worldwide.


SOURCE: "LASIK Patients Report More Than 95 Percent Satisfaction Rate Worldwide, First Study of Global Scientific Literature Finds." American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS) press release. March 6, 2008.