Study Compares LASIK to PRK Outcomes
In a recent study published in the Journal of Cataract & Refractive Surgery, LASIK patients demonstrated greater refractive stability six to nine years after surgery than PRK patients. The study evaluated 389 eyes of 229 patients who were treated for correction of myopia (nearsightedness) with an excimer laser.
The study included an analysis of eyes with low to moderate myopia (approximately -4.00 D) and eyes with high myopia (approximately -7.75 D). Two through 13 year data were analyzed and compared with one-month surgical outcomes to determine refractive stability.
The study found:
- 45.9 percent of eyes with low to moderate myopia treated with PRK were within 0.50 D of the intended correction.
- 64.8 percent of eyes with low to moderate myopia treated with LASIK were within 0.50 D of the intended correction.
- 25.0 percent of eyes with high myopia treated with PRK were within 0.50 D of the intended correction.
- 37.3 percent of eyes with high myopia treated with LASIK were within 0.50 D of the intended correction.
The study concluded that refractive stability generally was achieved within one year following both LASIK and PRK. It also showed that eyes undergoing LASIK showed greater long-term stability than eyes treated with PRK.
