Preop assessment can identify ideal candidates for myopic LASIK

This retrospective study found that myopic subjective sphere, male sex, and the dominant eye correlated with lower preoperative residual astigmatism in patients scheduled for myopic LASIK.

This data can help identify patients at high risk for having a significant difference between subjective cylinder and topographic astigmatism.

The study included one eye each of close to 3,000 patients and is the largest study to date to analyze the effect of demographic and ocular parameters on residual astigmatism in myopic LASIK.

Statistical analysis found that subjective sphere, male sex and dominant eye were negative predictors of the degree of preoperative residual astigmatism, while increasing age and larger mesopic pupils were not related to residual astigmatism. With-the-rule astigmatism meridian was more likely in eyes with low residual astigmatism, while oblique and against-the-rule meridians were related to high residual astigmatism.

The authors conclude that preoperative assessment of refractive surgery candidates should consider the interaction between topographic, refractive and residual astigmatism because corneal refractive surgery is more successful in eyes in which the cylinder mainly originates from the anterior cornea.