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Refractive Surgery Patients Report Improved Quality of Life

The great majority of individuals who've undergone a laser vision correction procedure are highly satisfied with the results, and say that their overall quality of life has significantly improved, according to the results of a Harris Interactive Survey released by the Eye Surgery Education Council (ESEC), the public education arm of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery.

The survey of 254 laser eye surgery patients is the first nationwide quality of life study assessing the effect of the surgery on patients' daily lives and routines. The survey asked patients to evaluate the impact of their eye surgery on the quality of their family life, careers and activities. These survey findings, along with the ESEC's updated LASIK screening guidelines, can help interested patients make better choices as they weigh the benefits and risks of laser eye surgery.

Significantly, patients who reported that their expectations hadn't been met, or who were dissatisfied with their outcome, tended to be less informed about the surgery and its risks and benefits.

"This kind of research is very helpful to physicians as we counsel future patients and understand the quality of life benefits for LASIK patients," said Roger Steinert, M.D., chair of the ESEC Medical Advisory Board and associate professor of ophthalmology at Harvard Medical School. "The majority of the patients reported that they were well-informed about the procedure, which supports the importance of patient education and discussion of realistic expectations prior to having the surgery."

Survey respondents identified the following benefits:

• 83% enjoyed the freedom from glasses or contact lenses
• 69% identified an improvement in their personal safety
• 65% had increased confidence in their personal appearance
• 54% said they could better participate in sports or fitness activities.

In questions specific to the surgery:

• 87% said results met or exceeded their expectations
• 73% regretted that they didn't have the surgery sooner
• 47% said the surgery opened up "a whole new life."

In questions relating to understanding the risks and benefits of surgery prior to having the procedure:

• 86% said they were well-informed about potential risks
• 54% said they considered having the surgery for more than a year before actually having the procedure done.

About this data: Harris Interactive conducted an online survey, which drew responses from 254 laser eye surgery patients who had undergone either LASIK, LASEK or PRK to correct myopia, hyperopia and/or astigmatism. In addition to multiple-choice questions, several open-ended questions were included to capture in-depth responses. The survey was conducted from Feb. 26 to March 10, 2003. The survey's margin of error is estimated at ±6.1%.