Impact of Refractive Outcomes on Bias in Follow-up and Completion of Patient-Reported Outcome Measures after Laser Vision Correction

Patient-Reported Outcomes and Higher Order Aberrations Following Topography-Guided Femtosecond Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis

PURPOSE

To examine patient-reported outcomes and higher order aberrations following topography-guided laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK).

METHODS

This was a prospective, nonrandomized observational study at a single academic center. Sixty eyes from 30 patients underwent bilateral topography-guided femtosecond LASIK for correction of myopia using the VisuMax 500 femtosecond laser (Zeiss; Oberkochen, Germany) and Allegretto Wave Eye-Q 400 Hz Excimer Laser (Alcon/Wavelight; Erlangen, Germany) with the Contoura topography system (Alcon; Geneva, Switzerland) for topography-modified refraction. The main outcomes of this study were higher order aberrations (HOAs) and results from the Patient-Reported Outcomes with LASIK questionnaire.

RESULTS

There was a small, significant increase in HOA root mean square, spherical aberration, and coma at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months following topography-guided LASIK (all P < 0.05), but no change in trefoil. In addition, self-reported worry related to vision (P < 0.001) and ability to perform activities (P < 0.001) significantly improved after surgery. The prevalence of double images, glare, halos, or starbursts decreased from 73% preoperatively to 56%, and no participants reported "very" or "extremely" bothersome visual symptoms after 12 months. Dry eye symptoms per Ocular Surface Disease Index score decreased significantly at 6 (P = 0.01) and 12 (P = 0.002) months after surgery. There was a 100% satisfaction rate with visual outcomes and duration of time to improvement in vision following the procedure.

CONCLUSIONS

Although there was an increase in HOAs following topography-guided LASIK, there were significant improvements in the presence of double images, glare, halos, and starbursts and vision-related quality-of-life metrics. Overall satisfaction rates in this study were high.

Angle Kappa is Not Correlated with Patient-Reported Outcomes After Multifocal Lens Implantation

Purpose

To examine the effect of preoperative angle kappa on patient-reported outcomes after multifocal lens placement during cataract surgery and determine if it is an effective measure for preoperative patients screening for multifocal lens placement.

Setting

Private refractive surgery clinics.

Design

Retrospective cohort study.

Methods

All patients undergoing bilateral cataract or refractive lens exchange surgery with a target of emmetropia between 2013 and 2017 at Optical Express (Glasgow, UK) with multifocal lens placement for whom preoperative angle kappa measurement and a postoperative month 1 patient-reported outcomes measures were available were included.

Results

A total of 1368 patients were identified. Median preoperative angle kappa was 0.41mm with an interquartile range of 0.30mm to 0.53mm. Preoperative angle kappa did not have a significant association with patient-reported satisfaction with vision (correlation coefficient 0.15, 95% confidence interval -0.081 to 0.39, P = 0.20) nor with patient-reported photic phenomena (P > 0.09 for all comparisons). A receiver-operator characteristic analysis did not yield a viable cutoff predictive of patient-reported satisfaction.

Conclusion

Angle kappa was not predictive of patient-reported satisfaction in this study. This study did not find evidence that it should be used as a screening test for patients considering multifocal intraocular lens placement.

One-Year Visual Outcomes and Corneal Higher-Order Aberration Assessment of Small-Incision Lenticule Extraction for the Treatment of Myopia and Myopic Astigmatism

We present a retrospective, single-center report of one-year visual outcomes for Small Incision Lenticule Extraction (SMILE) to treat myopia and myopic astigmatism, as well as to compare outcomes with other published literature, including results from the United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA). A total of 405 eyes with a mean preoperative spherical equivalent of -5.54 diopters (D) underwent SMILE between April 2017 and April 2022. The outcomes measured included visual acuity, manifest refraction, vector analysis, and wavefront aberrometry at various time points, specifically pre-operative and twelve months post-operatively. Results were compared to other similar published studies of SMILE outcomes between 2012 and 2021. A total of 308 and 213 eyes were evaluated at three and twelve months, respectively. At twelve months, 79% of eyes achieved UDVA ≥ 20/20, and 99% had ≥20/40, with no patients losing ≥2 lines of vision. For accuracy, 84% of eyes were within 0.5 D of target SEQ, and 97% were within 1 D. Total corneal higher order aberrations (HOA) increased from 0.33 to 0.61 um. Significant change was found in vertical coma and spherical aberration at twelve months. SMILE remains a safe and effective treatment for myopia and myopic astigmatism. Clinical outcomes are likely to improve with increased surgeon experience and refinement of technology and nomograms.