Clinical session about results of LASIK surgery by Dr. Javier Reyes

LASIK refractive surgery is highly secure and has an average satisfaction rate of over 96% of the patients who have undergone it. Its efficiency and security rises when the femtosecond laser is used in the procedure.

Dr. Javier Reyes, member of the Department of Refractive Surgery at ICR, explained it in one of the general clinical sessions of ICR at Barcelona Medical College, in which he presented a comparison of scientific work confirms the security and efficiency of the intervention, especially when femtosecond laser is used.

Moreover, he pointed out that results obtained at ICR are better than those from scientific studies in all the analyzed aspects.

Why is LASIK surgery so highly embraced among doctors and patients?

One of the reasons that explains the success of this kind of surgery is the low frequency in which side effects and complications occur −in less than 0.9% of the cases. Side effects are odd, they are mainly part of the normal scarring process and they disappear with time.

Among all the cases, the femtosecond laser has proven a smaller percentage of dry eyes compared to the surgery performed with microkeratome (a mechanized precision surgical blade).

In order to sooth the symptoms and improve the patient’s comfort, the use of eye lubricants is enough. An additional treatment is rarely needed.

Numbers speak for themselves

During his presentation, Dr. Reyes showed a study of all the LASIK surgery cases of the last 10 years at ICR. A comparison was made between the number of complications inside or after the surgery and the results of our interventions in the same aspect. One can come to the conclusion that in our experience, our numbers are lower than in general studies in all analized aspects.

When checking out the LASIK global data, the most remarkable data is the patients satisfaction rate, that is close to 96% and reaches the 100% in some studies.

LASIK with femtosecond laser is the elective surgery with a higher satisfaction index.

More information

• LASIK world literature review: quality of life and patient satisfaction.  Ophthalmology, 116(4), 691-701.
• Symptoms and satisfaction of patients in the patient-reported outcomes with laser in situ keratomileusis (PROWL) studies.  JAMA ophthalmology, 135(1), 13-22.
• Visual outcomes after femtosecond laser in situ keratomileusis flap complications.  Journal of Cataract & Refractive Surgery, 41(11), 2487-2492.
• LASIK, cirugía ocular con láser. American Academy of Ophthalmology.
• LASIK. FDA