LASIK 5 years on…

Article

LASIK is a safe and effective procedure in the correction of myopia five years after surgery, according to a study in the September issue of Ophthalmology.

LASIK is a safe and effective procedure in the correction of myopia five years after surgery, according to a study in the September issue of Ophthalmology.

Naoko Kato and colleagues from the Minamiaoyama Eye Clinic and Keio University, Japan, examined 779 eyes of 402 patients with myopia or myopic astigmatism undergoing LASIK during a five-year period. Changes in uncorrected visual acuity (UCVA), manifest refraction, best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), intraocular pressure (IOP), corneal thickness, corneal endothelial cell counts and complications were recorded at one week, one, three and six months, and once a year postoperatively.

UCVA improved from 1.27 preoperatively to -0.03 at one day following surgery and -0.08 at one month, with minimal but significant decreases occurring thereafter. Postoperative manifest refraction showed minimal but significant regression after one year. Final BCVA loss was seen in 10 eyes of seven patients. IOP and corneal thickness decreased by 4.0 mmHg and 76.9 µm, respectively as a result of LASIK but remained stable over the follow-up period. Corneal endothelial cell counts demonstrated a significant reduction at five years after surgery, which the researchers believe was likely to be the result of physiological age-related loss. No serious complications were observed.

It was the conclusion of the authors that LASIK is a safe and effective procedure for correcting myopia and myopic astigmatism as long as inclusion and exclusion criteria are respected. However, the researchers did point out that minimal regression is likely to occur over the five-year period.

Newsletter

Join ophthalmologists across Europe—sign up for exclusive updates and innovations in surgical techniques and clinical care.

Recent Videos
Alfredo Sadun, MD, PhD, chief of Ophthalmology at the Doheny Eye Institute, University of California Los Angeles, shared exciting new research with the Eye Care Network during the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) meeting on the subject of Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON).
At this year's Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah, Nitish Mehta, MD, shared highlights from his research documenting real-world results of aflibercept 8 mg for patients with diabetic macular oedema.
ARVO 2025: Anat Loewenstein, MD, shares data from herself and her colleagues on meeting needs of patients with diabetic retinopathy
At the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons annual meeting, Sheng Lim, MD, FRCOphth discusses the benefit of endoscopic cyclophotocoagulation for patients with primary open angle glaucoma and cataracts in the CONCEPT study
A photo of Seville, Spain, with the Congress on Controversies in Ophthalmology logo superimposed on it. Image credit: ©francovolpato – stock.adobe.com; logo courtesy COPHy
Anat Loewenstein, MD, Professor and Director, Department of Ophthalmology, Tel Aviv Medical Center, discusses the Congress on Controversies in Ophthalmology (COPHy)
Anat Loewenstein, MD, speaks about the 22nd Annual Angiogenesis, Exudation, and Degeneration Meeting in February 2025 and shares her global forecast for AI-driven home OCT
Sarah M. Thomasy, DVM, PhD, DACVO, a veterinary ophthalmologist at UC Davis, talks about how her research at the Glaucoma 360 symposium
I. Paul Singh, MD, an anterior segment and glaucoma specialist, discusses the Glaucoma 360 conference, where he participated in a panel discussion on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in glaucoma care.
Charles Wykoff, MD, PhD, discusses his Floretina ICOOR presentation topic, retinal non-perfusion in diabetic retinopathy, with David Hutton, editor of Ophthalmology Times
© 2025 MJH Life Sciences

All rights reserved.