LASIK patients report more than 95 percent satisfaction rate...(logy advances exploring a more holistic ...),Health

Breaking down the clinical history of LASIK:

• Approximately 2,915 published and peer-reviewed articles with a clinical focus on LASIK were identified from medical journals published from 1998 to January 2008. Follow-up of patients in these studies ranged from one month to 10 years.

• Rigorous quality criteria assigned the studies into two classifications: Level 1 (well-designed, well-conducted randomized clinical studies) and Level 2 (well-designed control or cohort case studies, either retrospective or prospective).

• From the original 2,915 articles, 308 studies of primary LASIK cases (patients who had LASIK performed to reduce dependence on glasses or contact lenses) that included patient satisfaction, patient quality of life post-LASIK and other factors in their methodology were selected.

• The meta-analysis aggregates the findings of 19 studies (2,199 patients in total) that specifically address the question of patient satisfaction. The remaining 289 articles are being studied to determine if and what additional valuable data can be obtained.

The final results of Dr. Solomons literature review will be presented at the annual Symposium and Congress of the ASCRS, April 4-9, in Chicago. His presentation will provide more specific data from the meta-analysis, including the factors associated with patient dissatisfaction.

Once a technology matures to this point, a profession committed to continual improvement will naturally focus on improving patient satisfaction, said Dr. Lindstrom. As the number-one elective procedure in the world, with one of the highest safety profiles, LASIK has shown its appeal to patients, and, as a profession, we look forward to continuing its advancement.