The following is a summary of “LASIK is associated with early cataract surgery in healthy patients,” published in the March 2024 issue of Ophthalmology by Ortiz-Morales et al.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to assess the correlation between LASIK surgery and the occurrence of early cataract phacoemulsification surgery (PE).
They conducted a matched case-control study where cases consisted of otherwise healthy adults who had undergone LASIK surgery. Groups were paired based on corrected-distance visual acuity (CDVA), axial length, and cataract grade.
The results showed that of the 213 patients, 85 were in the post-LASIK group, and 128 were controls. The mean age at the time of LASIK surgery was 42.32 ± 9.24 years. Before PE, the mean CDVA was 0.29 ± 0.19 Log MAR for the post-LASIK group and 0.34 ± 0.22 Log MAR for controls (P=0.07). The mean axial length was 23.99 ± 1.78 mm in the post-LASIK group and 23.62 ± 0.98 mm in controls (P=0.085). Nuclear cataract grading averaged 1.36 in the post-LASIK group and 1.47 in controls (P=0.34). At the time of posterior capsule opacification, the mean age was 60.18 ± 7.46 years for the post-LASIK group and 67.35 ± 9.28 years for controls (P<0.0005). The difference between the mean age at LASIK and the mean age at posterior capsule opacification was 17.85 ± 5.72 years. A positive association was observed between belonging to the post-LASIK group and experiencing posterior capsule opacification at age ≤ 55 years (OR: 4.917, 95% CI: 2.21–10.90, P<0.001).
Investigators concluded that LASIK patients might undergo PE seven years earlier on average compared to those without LASIK.
Source: link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10792-024-03060-6