[Socioeconomical comparison between treated and untreated candidates for laser refractive surgery in mid-Hesse]

Patient-Reported Quality of Life and Satisfaction After Refractive Lens Extraction Using a Diffractive Trifocal IOL: A Multicenter Retrospective Cohort Study

PURPOSE

To assess patient satisfaction and quality of life after refractive lens exchange with a trifocal intraocular lens (IOL).

METHODS

Consecutive patients who underwent refractive lens exchange with the AT LISA tri or AT LISA tri toric IOL (Carl Zeiss Meditec AG) at one of five surgical centers were surveyed for their quality of life and satisfaction after surgery using a standardized questionnaire. Patient responses were compared to patient characteristics such as age, sex, axial lengths, and preoperative refraction.

RESULTS

A total of 102 patients with 204 treated eyes were included in the analysis. The mean age was 54.6 ± 5.2 years. A total of 172 eyes were hypermetropic, 3 were emmetropic, and 25 were myopic, with a mean preoperative refractive error of 0.93 ± 2.17 diopters. Reported postoperative satisfaction was as follows: 81.4% stated that their expectations were completely met and 17.6% stated that they were partially met. Self-reported refractive error quality of life improved significantly in all queried areas of life. Most frequently reported postoperative limitations were driving at night and driving in bad weather conditions. Halos were reported by 91 (90.1%) patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Patient satisfaction and self-reported quality of life after refractive lens exchange with the AT LISA tri or AT LISA tri toric IOL was high. Glare and halos remain the only significant drawback of the procedure, leading to 40% of patients experiencing difficulties in night driving. Preoperative communication of these drawbacks is obligatory to avoid postoperative disappointment. [J Refract Surg. 2021;37(11):768-774.].

The Characteristics of Excimer Laser Refractive Surgery Candidates

PURPOSE

To determine the demographic and refractive characteristics of excimer laser refractive surgery candidates in Iran.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional study between 2010 and 2014. All information was collected from 28 centers randomly selected from 12 provinces. Then, for each season of the year, one week was chosen through simple random selection, and within each week, 3 days were again chosen randomly. All excimer laser surgical procedures performed during these 3 days were identified by training staff, and data were extracted from patient charts.

RESULTS

A total of 14,569 charts were reviewed; 67.5% of the subjects were female and the rest were male. Of the total surgeries, 18.6% had been done in 2010 which reached to 19.1% in 2014. The mean age of people receiving refractive surgery showed an upward trend (P<0.001) and female patients were significantly younger than male patients (P<0.001). The 25 to 39 years age group received the highest number of surgeries (31.9% of the total) and there was a significant association with gender (P<0.001). The most common refractive error was compound myopic astigmatism with a prevalence of 79.3%. In 2010, 33.3% of the performed surgeries were covered by insurance policies, and this decreased to 30.2% in 2014 (P<0.001).

CONCLUSION

Women with compound myopic astigmatism in the age range of 25 and 35 years are the most frequent users of excimer laser refractive surgery. Less than one-third of laser refractive surgeries are covered by insurance policies. Therefore, proper planning for improving services to this group must be given priority.