Quality of life changes after myopic wavefront-guided laser in situ keratomileusis.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the changes in quality of life in patients undergoing wavefront-guided laser in situ keratomeilusis (WG-LASIK).


METHODS
Thirty candidates undergoing WG-LASIK were enrolled in a prospective study at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, TX. The patients were asked to fill out a questionnaire which had questions pertaining to their quality of life, preoperatively and 3 months postoperatively. The average patients' age was 41.4 +/- 12.45 years, and the preoperative manifest refractive spherical equivalent was -3.62 +/- 1.60 D (-1.00 to -7.50 D).


RESULTS
The total quality-of-life score improved from 3.70 +/- 0.91 to 3.90 +/- 0.97 (P = 0.01). Most of the psychologic well-being items like energy level, stress level, self-confidence, sense of safety, and the social role subscale items such as ability to communicate with others, job performance, and sex life showed significant improvement in mean scores (P < 0.05). The postoperative visual function and visual symptom scores, however, were overall similar to preoperative levels.


CONCLUSIONS
Consistent with previous studies with conventional LASIK, there is a significant improvement in quality of life after WG-LASIK. The main changes pertain to psychologic well-being and social role, more than the changes in visual function per se. However, the latter did not show evidence of deterioration, nor of worsening of visual symptoms, contrary to some studies with conventional LASIK.
Department of Ophthalmology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX 75390-9057, USA.
Shady T
ST
Awwad
Nancy
N
Alvarez-Chedzoy
R Wayne
RW
Bowman
H Dwight
HD
Cavanagh
James P
JP
McCulley
D000328:Adult; D019781:Corneal Topography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020731:Keratomileusis, Laser In Situ; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009216:Myopia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000601:surgery*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D025321:Surgery, Computer-Assisted; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014785:Vision, Ocular; D055815:Young Adult