Quality of vision after wavefront-guided laser in situ keratomileusis or photorefractive keratectomy: Contralateral eye evaluation

Abstract

To compare quality of vision between laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) and photorefractive keratectomy (PRK). Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California, USA. Prospective randomized case series. Patients had refractive surgery, with 1 eye treated with LASIKand the other with PRK. Eyes were randomized for dominance. The patients completed a questionnaire assessing quality of vision in each eye at the initial visit and 1, 3, 6, and 12months postoperatively. The study comprised 34 patients (68 eyes). There were no initial differences in quality of vision. The PRK eyes had worse clarity during the day (P=.001) and at night (P=.001), worse overall vision (P=.024), more vision fluctuation (P=.006), and more double vision (P=.022) at 1month. Eyes with higher preoperative higher-order aberrations (HOAs) having PRK had worse clarity during the day and at night (P=.006 and P=.012, respectively) and more vision fluctuation (P=.041); PRK eyes with lower preoperative HOAs had worse daytime clarity (P=.036) at 1month. After 1month, there were no differences. The quality of vision was better in LASIK eyes after 1month. At subsequent visits, there was no significant difference in quality of vision.